A day after the Maoists released Collector R. Vineel Krishna in Malkangiri district, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday assured the three mediators that the State government would honour the commitments it made during the mediation for ending the hostage crisis.
“We will certainly honour the commitments made to the mediators,” Mr. Patnaik told journalists here, while adding that his government was already taking a series of measures for the welfare of tribals.
Mr. Patnaik gave the assurance to the mediators – R. Someswar Rao, G. Hargopal and Dandapani Mohanty – who met him at the Secretariat here.
The government had accepted 14 demands that the Maoists had made for the release Mr. Krishna and Junior Engineer Pabitra Majhi.
The negotiation process that started on February 20, four days after Mr. Krishna and Mr. Majhi were abducted, ended on Thursday evening when Mr. Krishna was set free in the cut-off area of Balimela reservoir in Malkangiri.
Among the major demands that the government accepted include withdrawal of a case against five persons, including Ganti Prasadam and Padma, wife of Maoist leader Ramakrishna.
The government had also agreed to review, within three months, the cases registered against hundreds of tribal men and women in Koraput and Malkangiri districts for their alleged Maoist links.
No coercive action
As regards the Maoists' demand for a complete halt of Operation Green Hunt, the government agreed that there would be no coercive action by the security forces as long as Maoists did not indulge in any unlawful activities.
Incidentally, there has not been a single Maoist attack in the State since the kidnapping of the Collector on February 16, and also no action by the security forces against the Maoists.
