Tribal Leader Taken After Car Was Halted
Satyanarayana Pattnaik & Sandeep Mishra TNN
Koraput/ Bhubaneswar: Maoists guerrillas abducted a ruling BJD MLA early Saturday near Laxmipur in south Orissa, about 500km from Bhubaneswar, derailing talks
for the release of two Italian hostages held by them since March 14.
Police said Laxmipur MLA Jhina Hikaka, a 37-year-old tribal community leader, was taken away to a nearby forest at gunpoint by a group of over 100 Maoists around 1am on Saturday. He was returning home when the Maoists stopped his vehicle near Toyaput.
At dawn, the Maoists released Hikaka’s driver Ugrasen Jambeka and personal security officer (PSO) Gokula Kandhapan after snatching away their mobile phones. Before disappearing into the jungles near the Orissa-Andhra Pradesh border with the MLA, the Maoists ordered them to inform the media about the abduction.“We are on the job and all necessary steps have been taken to locate the MLA,” said Koraput SP Awinash Kumar. It’s unlikely the Maoists have taken Hikaka to Andhra Pradesh, he said.
Negotiations for two Italian tour operators between the state government and Maoists through mediators were suspended.
ABDUCTION AT GUNPOINT
Jhina Hikaka (pic), a tribal MLA representing Laxmipur, abducted in the early hours of Saturday as he was returning home from Koraput
Hikaka’s security officer and driver allowed to leave while MLA was led away into forests at gunpoint
Maoists leave posters on Hikaka’s vehicle at the abduction site, around 40km from Koraput
Abduction comes 10 days after two Italians were taken hostage from Kandhamal. Talks for their release now suspended Mediators suspend talks with Reds
Orissa home secretary U N Behera said: “We have discussed the matter today with mediators nominated by the CPIMaoists. In the last two days there have been two unfortunate incidents — a police sub-inspector was killed in Malkangiri and MLA Jhina Hikaka was kidnapped. Under such circumstances, mediators suggested the negotiations be suspended.”
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik sent two ministers — Surjya Narayan Patro and Lal Bihari Himirika — to Koraput to take stock of the situation. He also called up Union home minister P Chidambaram and apprised him of the increased Maoist activity following the spate of attacks and abductions.
Chidambaram offered Central assistance but Patnaik did not seek any help, said a source.
Patnaik also called Hikaka’s wife, Kausalaya, and assured her of efforts for her husband’s release. At Toyaput, villagers blocked the road for hours demanding Hikaka’s release. School children took out a rally at Narayanpatna.
The kidnap sparked a ruckus in the state Assembly. Opposition MLAs sat in the well of the House and damaged the Speaker’s microphone. Congress and BJP MLAs accused the ruling BJD of a nexus with Maoists. The House was adjourned till Monday.
“The government-Maoist nexus became evident when Maoist-backed panchayat representatives supported BJD candidates in recent zilla parishad elections in Koraput,” said Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh. He demanded the CM’s resignation.
BJD chief whip Rabi Narayan Pani trashed the allegations saying it not the time to seek political mileage.
Police suspect Hikaka was kidnapped by the Koraput-Srikakulam division of the outlawed CPI-Maoist. Their posters and banners were found near the kidnapping spot. They pasted hand-written posters on Hikaka’s vehicle with a clutch of demands, including halt of Operation Green Hunt, police excesses on tribals and release of all political prisoners.
Police learnt of Hikaka’s kidnap when Jambeka informed the Laxmipur police station. After finishing work in Koraput, Hikaka went to Semiliguda for a party meeting to discuss the BJD’s strategy for Saturday’s election for the zilla parishad vice-president. They had dinner at Semiliguda and started for Laxmipur, about 80 km away, around 11pm.
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