Bhubaneswar:
Talks to resolve hostage crisis in Odisha began on Thursday with a Maoist mediator saying that the two abducted Italians are in good health and that all 13 demands of the ultras came up for discussion.
The negotiations began shortly after the arrival of former bureaucrat and social activist B D Sharma, one of the nominees of the Maoists.
Civil rights activist Dandapani Mohanty also joined the talks on behalf of the rebels, while the talks began without a third mediator from the rebel side as Maoists did not want to wait.
After the first round of talks, Dandapani said that Puri-based tour operator Paolo Bosusco and tourist Claudio Colangelo, who were taken hostage on March 14 from Kandhamal district while trekking, were in good health.
"All 13 demands made by the abductors of two Italians were discussed threadbare as the three government negotiators showed a positive approach during talks," Mohanty told reporters.
Mohanty said the negotiation would continue on Friday when something positive was likely to emerge.
The demands put forward by the Maoists was the release of some rebels, including Subhashree Das, wife of top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, and Gananath Patra and action against police officials allegedly involved in fake encounter.
The Maoists also demanded that tribals should not be used as objects for promotion of tourism, Mohanty and Sharma said.
Though the state government had framed rules putting restrictions on certain activities like taking photographs of tribals, these were not being enforced strictly, they said.
They also suggested that steps be taken to bring three jailed Maoist leaders, Narayan Sanyal, Amit Bagchi and Kobad Gandhi, lodged in jails at Giridih, Vishakhapatanam and Tihar to Bhubaneswar for monitoring the talks.
The state government is likely to convey its views on this on Friday, Mohanty said.
The state government was represented by Home Secretary U N Behera, Panchayatiraj secretary P K Jena and ST & SC Secretary S K Sarangi.
On the release of the hostages, Sharma and Mohanty said the modalities would be discussed tomorrow. "A clear picture will emerge when we resume the talks tomorrow," Sharma said.
To a query, they said the two of them would continue the negotiations and a third mediator could be nominated by the Maoists if they found it necessary.
Even as talks were in progress, Maoists shot dead a 57-year-old police sub-inspector K C Rath when he went to the market at Khairpur in Malkangiri district during the day.
Referring to the incident, the Maoist-nominated mediators condemning the killing and appealed to the ultras to refrain from violence as it might affect the negotiations to end the hostage crisis.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed the assembly that Italian Ambassador Giacomo Sanfelici di Monteforte spoke to him again this evening and expressed concern for the two hostages.
"He spoke again of the anxiety and distress of the families of the two Italian nationals," Patnaik said asking the Maoists to release the two immediately.