Maoists reject Nitish's talks offer, to free cops

PATNA: Even as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar offered "direct" talks with the Maoists, the rebels announced the unconditional release of the three cops they held on Sunday morning. Late on Saturday, Maoist spokesman Avinash told local newspersons that the three policemen will be released, though not to any government agency but their families. Police are learnt to be taking the families of the kidnapped men to Lakhisarai to welcome them home.

The Maoist volte face comes just a day after sub-inspector Lucas Tete's bullet-riddled body was found with a note threatening a similar fate for the other captives. The ultimatum put the state government under enormous pressure. After an all-party meeting on Saturday, Nitish Kumar said he was ready for dialogue and appealed to the Maoists to release the men. The three men are sub inspectors Abhay Yadav (earlier presumed dead), and Rupesh Kumar, and BMP havildar Ehtesham Khan.

Patna: In a welcome turnaround, Maoists announced that three Bihar cops in their possession would be released on Sunday. The rebels had initially threatened them with the same fate as that of sub-inspector Lucas Tete, whose bullet-riddled body was recovered and buried on Saturday.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had offered talks to the Maoists and promised safe passage for the negotiators saying his word would be honoured. The CM also pointed out that Tete's post-mortem suggested he was killed after Thursday midnight or in the early hours of Friday rather than Thursday afternoon as a Maoist spokesperson had said.

"Bihar's chief minister is sitting here, waiting for Maoists to come forward for a dialogue. Leaders of other parties may also be involved in the talks if the Maoists so wish," Nitish told the media.

Meanwhile, the police claimed to have captured two Maoists who have confessed to their involvement in a bloody battle in which seven policemen were killed near Lakhisarai's Kajra hills on August 29.

While distraught relatives of the cops presented a distressing sight and their emotions were bound have a bearing on the government, Kumar did a careful tightrope walk saying he did not want mediators. "How was the government to know who was the voice over phone? I would prefer to sit across the table," he said.
In the run-up to elections, the situation was clearly tricky as killing of the captives could have resulted in retributory murders.

While the state government has acted steadily against Maoists with some big arms hauls of late, Nitish has avoided an upfront approach that marked the Centre's Operation Greenhunt.