New Delhi:
Concerned over the safety of Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon who has been abducted by Maoists, Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday and demanded that the Centre should take steps for his immediate release.
A delegation of MPs met Dr Singh in the Parliament House to convey their concerns over the abduction of Mr Menon, who hails from Tirunelveli.
The MPs -- KS Alagiri, Sudharsana Natchiappan, Ramasubbu, Manicka Tagore, NSV Chithan and Vishwanathan -- told Mr Singh that all steps should be taken to ensure that the Collector is set free by Maoists.
Thirty two-year-old Menon, a 2006-batch Chhattisgarh-cadre Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, was abducted by Maoists on Saturday in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh.
"We have urged the Prime Minister on the steps to be taken for the release of Menon. We also told the Prime Minister that the Collector hails from Tamil Nadu," Mr Tagore said after the meeting.
He also said that the Prime Minister told the delegation that the Centre was taking all steps for the release of Mr Menon and was working closely with the Chhatisgarh Government.