Odisha crisis: No word on hostages from captors, fresh talks held

The two Maoist groups holding BJD MLA and an Italian hostage were today yet to respond to the Odisha government's decision to free 27 prisoners, while the ultra mediators raised questions about the modalities of the release.

The ultra group holding 37-year-old MLA Jhina Hikaka and that of the 54-year-old Italian Paolo Bosusco maintained silence after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik named 27 persons whose release his government would 'facilitate'.

The two Maoist-nominated negotiators for the Italian, B D Sharma and Dandapani Mohanty, who held a meeting during the day with the three-member government team led by Home Secretary U N Behera, said "We are unable to understand the word 'facilitate.' It can mean anything.

"The government should make clear how it will facilitate the release," they said.

"There has been no response from the Maoists to government's announcement so far, but we are expecting word from the abductors soon," Sharma and Mohanty said.

The Maoist mediators and the government side examined the names of those to be released as also 12 of 13 demands made by the ultras, sources said.

The need to speed up the process for the Italian's release was believed to have been emphasised by the government side, they said. MORE