Two abducted Italians safe: Government

The names of Maoist-nominated negotiators are available with the government and that the matter is being examined threadbare before proceeding further, he said. The Maoists had last night nominated Narayan Sanyal, politburo member of CPI (Maoist) currently lodged in Giridih jail, and civil rights activists Dandapani Mohanty and Biswapriya Kanungo to hold talks.

However, Kanungo was reluctant to join the negotiation process. Voicing doubts over the sincerity of the government towards meeting the 13 demands of the ultras, Kanungo said, "Experience shows that the state government has failed to keep its word in the past. It will be pointless to be part of talks if the government backtracks later."

Kanungo said he was reluctant to act as an interlocutor because the mediators who negotiated during abduction of the then Malkangiri collector R Vineel Krishna in February last year had accused the government of failing to implement the demands it had accepted. Moreover, no one had consulted me before nominating me as a negotiator, he said.

While naming the negotiators, the Maoists announced a ceasefire and extended its deadline by a day for acceptance of its 13 demands including withdrawal of cases against the ultras and release of some rebels. The move came in response to the Odisha government`s offer for talks to end the crisis. Puri-based tour operator Paolo Bosusco and Italian tourist Claudio Colangelo were abducted while trekking in Kandhamal on March 14.

The Italian hostage issue also figured in the state Assembly with opposition Congress moving an adjournment notice to discuss the abduction episode. The Speaker, however, rejected the plea, saying the sensitive issue should not be discussed in the House at length in view of the safety and security of the hostages. Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi spoke on Monday to his Indian counterpart S M Krishna who assured him that the Odisha government was taking all steps to secure the duo`s early release.

The Italians were taken hostage on March 14 but the Maoists had reported it late on March 17 through the media. The two Italians had driven down from Puri and entered a forested area inspite of being warned by the Daringibadi police about the presence of Maoists. A driver and cook who were accompanying them and their vehicle were released by the Maoists subsequently. A report from Puri said that the driver, Kartik Parida, and cook, Santosh, were interrogated by the police.