Bhubaneswar:
Odisha Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda has refused to release Paolo Bosusco, the Italian national taken hostage over three weeks ago and has instead issued a fresh ultimatum to the state government that his group could take 'extreme' steps if its demands are not met.
Mr Panda has served a 96-hour notice to the state government to come clean on two of their basic demands - a written agreement between the mediators and the state government on the 13 demands put forth by the Maoists for the release of Mr Bosusco and a clear statement on the demand for the release of at least seven prisoners named by them.
In an audio message, Mr Panda said that negotiations on with the government were a farce; he set a deadline of Tuesday next for the government to fulfill demands like the release of some prisoners charged with what he alleges are false cases, action against policemen accused of rape and fake encounters, and lifting of a ban on some Naxal groups.
"If the government does not sign an agreement with the interlocutors on our demands and release the persons we have demanded, we will be forced to take our extreme step. If this brings international opprobrium for it, the government will be squarely responsible for it. We are extending our deadline, for the last time, by 96 hours. We have given the timeframe keeping in mind the fact that the government has been frequently stopping power supply to keep the telephone networks going," said Mr Panda. The audio message was delivered by the CPI Maoist Odisha State Organising Committee.
What has complicated matters for the state government is Mr Panda's allegation that the abduction of Jhina Hikaka, a tribal MLA of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), is fake and only a drama staged by the government with the help of forces opposed to him and his efforts to start a dialogue with the government on serious issues confronting tribal people.
The state government which had so far resorted to dilly-dallying during negotiations with the two mediators nominated by Mr Panda over the last 15 days appeared to have taken the Maoist ultimatum seriously and is likely to respond to it, latest by Monday.
The Odisha government has so far agreed to release 27 prisoners, including eight Naxals. But sources close to the Maoists say two organisations, the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) and the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) are unwilling to accept the release of prisoners on bail. They want the cases against them withdrawn.
However, the list did not include the names of several prisoners the Maoists want released.
There is no word yet from the Maoists belonging to the powerful Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee that has carried out the abduction of Mr Hikaka. There are reports that they would not release the MLA unless the state government withdraws all the cases pending against them and that they will not accept release merely on the basis of bail.
Government sources on the other hand maintain that withdrawal of cases will mean releasing over 200 prisoners.
Mr Bosusco was seized in Orissa state, along with another Italian, Claudio Colangelo, on March 14, in what is believed to be the first time the rebels have targeted foreigners. Colangelo was handed to a group of reporters on March 25.
The fighters said they took the Italians because they were taking photographs of indigenous tribeswomen bathing in a river, an allegation Colangelo denied after his release.
On March 24, another group of Maoists kidnapped Mr Hikaka adding to the tension.
The state government is now caught in crossfire of sorts with two rival factions of the Maoist party demanding their own pound of flesh, and appeasing both could mean walking through fire.
(
With Reuters inputs)