Bhubaneswar:
A day after Maoists kidnapped the District Collector of Malkangiri, along with a junior engineer, the state government has halted anti-Maoist operations throughout Orissa. They also say that they are ready to talk to the Maoists.
Sources have told NDTV that the Maoists may soon announce names of mediators and talks on the release of the Collector and the junior engineer could take place on February 20.
Maoists have issued a four-page letter in Telugu on the abduction outlining seven demands, including ending Operation Greenhunt and release of arrested Maoists.
They also say the Collector, Vineel Krishna, has been part of the 'repressive regime' in Orissa and is therefore not above board despite claims that he was working for the poor.
The letter, faxed to some media houses in Orissa, is the first confirmation that the abduction has been carried out by the Maoists.
Krishna was kidnapped by Maoists on Thursday when he was returning after an interaction programme in Gumma block of tribal-dominated Malkangiri district. The Maoists then set a 48-hour deadline for the Central forces to be withdrawn from the district and their jailed cadres released.
The incident happened just two days before Home Minister P Chidambaram's scheduled video-conference with the Collectors of 60 Maoist-hit districts. This is the first time that the Maoists have kidnapped an IAS officer, indicating a possible change of strategy to now target senior government officers.
And, in an unprecedented show of strength, villagers in Krishna's district came out in thousands. Overcoming the Maoist fear, the tribals marched with placards reading 'Free our Collector'.
The Opposition also created a ruckus in the Orissa Assembly by chanting, "How can a Collector be kidnapped?"
"I have made again an appeal on the floor of the House for the release of the Collector. I hope that the appeal is heeded to," said Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Orissa.
"I have already appealed to the Maoists since this morning that they should make the deadline flexible and not be very rigid about 48 hours. If necessary, they should extend it by another 48 hours. Also, I am appealing to them that they should see to it that there is not bodily harm done to Mr Krishna," said Swami Agnivesh, an Activist.
Thirty-year-old Vineel Krishna, an IIT-Madras graduate, joined Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 2005. In the last 16 months of his posting in Malkangiri, Krishna was trying to win over the tribals, alienated by years of government apathy. He had realised that the Maoist battle is impossible to win, and all development plans hopeless without the support of the tribals.
"He wants to work for the poor people. Since the beginning he has that aim. He says he is an Indian and he should serve the Indians. When he got IAS cadre and all, he plans to serve the people," said Y Sailaja, Vineel Krishna's aunt.
Along with the Collector, the Maoists had also kidnapped two junior engineers. One of them was freed on Wednesday itself. He was sent back with a note giving an ultimatum of 48 hours for the release of the Collector.
Strongly condemning the abduction, Home Secretary GK Pillai said in Delhi, "I don't think there is any need for any operation to release him. I am sure the state government will be able to negotiate and get his release".
"I think it will take some time because the area is quite cut-off but back channel efforts are underway and I think it will take a few days but we are quite confident of getting him back," he added.
Sources say the Maoists are scouting Orissa districts for establishing new bases. Orissa police has very little presence in Malkangiri, a Naxal-dominated district. Maoists use a passage through the southern-most Orissa town of Motu here to travel from Chhattisgarh to Andhra Pradesh. They also use the area as a corridor to crossover to the thickly-forested areas of Andhra.