Ranchi:
Jharkhand Block Development Officer Prashant Kumar Layak has been released by his Naxal captors after six days of being held hostage. Maoists had abducted the officer on Saturday, demanding the release of some Maoists in jail.
On Wednesday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren accepted the Maoists' key demand that arrested villagers be freed and appealed to the Maoists to release the BDO. But Layak was released more than 24 hours later.
All through the day on Thursday, a large number of villagers gathered near Guda police picket in East Singhbhum district and shouted slogans demanding release of the BDO immediately.
The state police have spent the last few days denying charges that they were going soft on the Maoists due to pressure from Soren.
But clear proof of a government deal with the rebels came from Prashant Kumar Layak, BDO, Dhalbhumgarh, "They told me the government has accepted their demands of releasing few Naxals from jails, and that is why I am being released."
The deal is the release of at least 6 out of 14 people who are in jail.
The police are to reinvestigate the cases of these people on the express instructions of the Chief Minister and say some of them could be innocent.
Manoj Kumar, DIG, Kolhan Range said, "We have gone into the review of the cases of those persons about whom there has been a bit of doubt whether they are hardcore Naxals or not."
But Soren's handling of the situation hasn't gone down well with his alliance partner, the BJP.
BJP spokesperson, Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, "We have launched our protest, even the National President of the BJP has said that it is unacceptable and that we have to go very strong on the Naxals and that has been taken by the MP government run by the BJP. That is the stand that has been taken by the BJP government in Chattisgarh. This is an aberration which needs to be corrected."
But the bigger worry is that will the swap set a dangerous precedent?