Bhubaneswar:
Nearly a month after BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka was kidnapped by Maoists in Odisha, they have made it clear on Saturday that they would not free him until the state government takes proactive steps to release all members of the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) who are in jail now. Daya, a senior leader of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee has issued a hand-written letter in Telugu saying it is the state government which is responsible for the inordinate delay in the release of Mr Hikaka.
It now appears that the Maoists are demanding the release all 150 members of the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh from jail.
Mr Daya in his letter has accused to government of delaying the resolution and made it clear their protest will continue until the time all CMAS members are freed from jail.
The Odisha Home Secretary in his media briefing on Saturday refused to comment on this letter stating that the government had not procured a copy of it. The senior official stuck to the old stand of the state government that they will facilitate the release of only 25 prisoners including 8 Maoists and withdraw prosecution against 13 of them including 5 Maoists. However he said the state government will welcome any proposal by any eminent person or civil society leader willing to talk to the Maoists or help resolve the hostage crisis.
The Maoists had earlier said they will let the media know by the 25th of April the decision of the so-called Praja Court they plan to hold to decide the fate of the abducted MLA. But going by the present indications and Daya's latest letter, the Maoists are most likely to go slow and prolong the MLA's detention.
Mr Hikaka, who represents Laxmipur constituency, was kidnapped by the Andhra-Odisha border special zonal committee of the Communist Party of India-Maoist in his home district of Koraput on March 24.