Bhubaneshwar:
After hopes emerged of a breakthrough in the Odisha hostage crisis late last week, it now seems that the problem is far from over. The Maoists holding an Italian national hostage for nearly a month now have placed new conditions in front of the government for his release. In a fresh audio message issued on Sunday, top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda asked the state government to publicly clarify how many ultras from the list of seven would be set free and which of his 13 demands would be met with for freeing Paolo Bosusco.
The new demands come in the wake of the state government and the Maoists having arrived at an agreement late on Saturday for the release of Mr Bosusco. As per the deal, the state government would have facilitated the release of five of the six persons whose release the ultras had demanded. These included Arati Majhi, Manmohan Pradhan, Suka Nachika, Chakra Tadingi, Bijay Tadingi and Subhashree Das. But Mr Panda, on Sunday, claimed that the government has gone back on its commitment and now intends to release five prisoners as against the six that was earlier agreed upon.
"This has created suspicion and the government should make clear how many prisoners are going to be released along with their names," Mr Panda, who is the secretary of the Odisha State Organising Committee, said. In fact, he said that he was unaware of the identity of two of the people named in the list forwarded by the government. "We want to know who Chakra Tadingi and Bijay Tadingi are and why their names have been included in the list of five persons to be released in the Italian hostage issue," Mr Panda said.
The latest twist has presented itself as a new roadblock in the Odisha government's attempts to secure the release of Mr Bosusco. The 51-year-old tour operator was taken hostage by the Maoists on March 14 along with compatriot Claudio Colangelo, a tourist. Even as Mr Colangelo was allowed to go, Mr Bosusco continues to be held captive with the Maoists remaining firm on the charter of demands.
Mr Panda, in his audio message, questioned why the final agreement, if any, did not mention which of the demands outlined in his 13-point charter had been accepted by the government and why others were not considered,
"Is it unreasonable to demand access to portable water, primary education, health facilities and irrigation cover for land in every village?" Mr Panda said. He also sought an answer on why his demand for lifting the ban imposed on 'mass organisations' is not acceptable to the government.
Even as the government battles this hostage nightmare that has invoked a serious diplomatic concern vis-a-vis Italy, matters have further compounded with no headway in sight in the other hostage crisis - the abduction of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Jina Hikaka.
Another Maoist faction which is holding Mr Hikaka captive since March 25 has asked his wife to reach a village in Koraput district on April 10 along with 30 prisoners to pave the way for the legislator's release. The letter, released to a section of the media by Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the Maoists on Sunday, asked Mr Hikaka's wife Kaushalya to reach Balipeta in the Naxal-hit Narayanpatna area.
The ultras have asked her to reach the place along with 30 rebels - these include seven more rebels alongwith the 23 whose release the state government had decided to facilitate. The letter also said that the MLA's wife should be accompanied by the two Naxal-nominated mediators - B D Sharma and Dandapani Mohanty - engaged in the Italian hostage crisis.
The Maoists had, on Saturday, extended the deadline till April 10 for the fulfilment of their demands in return for the release of the 37-year-old MLA.
Referring to the new demands made by the Maoist group for freeing five more people, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the "legal issues involved were being examined by the government." But with the deadline set to expire tomorrow, the government clearly seems to be running out of time.