Bhopal: The Maoists released Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon on Thursday after holding him hostage in the forests of south Chhattisgarh for 12 days. Menon looked weary and frail as he emerged from the forests and reached Chintalnar in Sukma at dusk.
Emerging out of the forest, Menon told reporters, “I am okay. I want to speak to my family first. I will speak to you after a day.” He thanked people for standing by him and his family during the crisis. “I would like to thank the mediators from both sides, my state government, my chief minister, the chief secretary and all my seniors for the sincere effort they put in,” he said.
Soon after Menon’s release, the state government fulfilled its promise to the Maoists by issuing an order constituting a review committee headed by former Madhya Pradesh chief secretary Nirmala Buch. The committee will review all casesof Maoists against whom probe or prosecution is pending. Chief secretary Sunil Kumar and director general of police Anil M Navaney are other members of the committee.
A Raipur court will on Friday hear the bail plea of Meena Choudhary, one of the nine leaders whose release Maoists demanded in exchange for Menon’s freedom. Her lawyer Sadiq Ali moved the bail application in the court of additional sessions judge B P Verma on Thursday.
Shantipriya, also named by the Maoists in their wishlist, is likely to file a bail application in a day or two. The application could not be moved on Thursday as her relatives could not reach Raipur, a source said.
The Maoists handed over Menon (32), a 2006 batch IAS officer from Tamil Nadu, to interlocutors Dr B D Sharma and Prof G Haragopal in the forests near Tadmetla at 3.30 pm. About 60km from Sukma, Tadmetla is known as the Maoist “liberated zone” along the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border. ‘We will strictly go by the agreement’
Ranchi: Throughout the day, anxiety and suspense ran high as the sun set in the forests of south Chhattisgarh and there was no sign of Menon. A helicopter which had flown to Chintalnar to bring Menon home returned empty as there is an embargo on flying after sunset.
Around 6.30pm, Menon reached Chintalnar in a white Bolero and was mobbed by mediapersons waiting for him since morning. Interlocutor Sharma, accompanying Menon, requested reporters to spare the collector for the day.
Menon was then taken to the CRPF camp in Chintalnar. Around 6.55pm, he spoke to Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh. They will meet on the chief minister’s return from the meeting on National Counter Terrorism Centre in Delhi on Friday.
“We will strictly go by the agreement. Nothing more, nothing less”, Raman Singh said while replying to a volley of questions about the possibility of the release of eight Maoists and others as demanded by the rebels.
Emerging out of the forest, Menon told reporters, “I am okay. I want to speak to my family first. I will speak to you after a day.” He thanked people for standing by him and his family during the crisis. “I would like to thank the mediators from both sides, my state government, my chief minister, the chief secretary and all my seniors for the sincere effort they put in,” he said.
Soon after Menon’s release, the state government fulfilled its promise to the Maoists by issuing an order constituting a review committee headed by former Madhya Pradesh chief secretary Nirmala Buch. The committee will review all casesof Maoists against whom probe or prosecution is pending. Chief secretary Sunil Kumar and director general of police Anil M Navaney are other members of the committee.
A Raipur court will on Friday hear the bail plea of Meena Choudhary, one of the nine leaders whose release Maoists demanded in exchange for Menon’s freedom. Her lawyer Sadiq Ali moved the bail application in the court of additional sessions judge B P Verma on Thursday.
Shantipriya, also named by the Maoists in their wishlist, is likely to file a bail application in a day or two. The application could not be moved on Thursday as her relatives could not reach Raipur, a source said.
The Maoists handed over Menon (32), a 2006 batch IAS officer from Tamil Nadu, to interlocutors Dr B D Sharma and Prof G Haragopal in the forests near Tadmetla at 3.30 pm. About 60km from Sukma, Tadmetla is known as the Maoist “liberated zone” along the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border. ‘We will strictly go by the agreement’
Ranchi: Throughout the day, anxiety and suspense ran high as the sun set in the forests of south Chhattisgarh and there was no sign of Menon. A helicopter which had flown to Chintalnar to bring Menon home returned empty as there is an embargo on flying after sunset.
Around 6.30pm, Menon reached Chintalnar in a white Bolero and was mobbed by mediapersons waiting for him since morning. Interlocutor Sharma, accompanying Menon, requested reporters to spare the collector for the day.
Menon was then taken to the CRPF camp in Chintalnar. Around 6.55pm, he spoke to Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh. They will meet on the chief minister’s return from the meeting on National Counter Terrorism Centre in Delhi on Friday.
“We will strictly go by the agreement. Nothing more, nothing less”, Raman Singh said while replying to a volley of questions about the possibility of the release of eight Maoists and others as demanded by the rebels.
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