The hope for early release of Italian national Basusco Paolo appeared bleak on Sunday as Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda on Sunday sought the state government to clear its position on his 13 demands, including release seven Maoists cadres lodged in various jails.
“We had given a 13-point charter of demands. This includes release of seven persons lodged in various jails. The government initially announced to set all the seven persons free. Later, it changed its voice and said six people would be released. And, after the negotiation with mediators, the government now says five persons will be released. This sounds confusing and suspicious,” Panda, head of the Orissa State Organising Committee (OSOC) of the CPI Maoists, said in an audio-tape released on Sunday morning.
The rebel leader also wanted to know as to how many of its 13 demands were accepted during the negotiation process and which ones were rejected.
Panda’s fresh audio-tape forced the chief minister chief minister Naveen Patnaik to convene an urgent meeting. Home secretary U.N. Behera, panchayati raj secretary Pradipta Jena and SC and ST development secretary Santosh Sarangi attended the meeting.
Soon after the meeting, Mr Parnaik told reporters that the two Maoist mediators and the state had reached an agreement on the demands of the rebel leader Sabyasachi Panda and there was no confusion at all. “The mediators and our state government representatives have reached an agreement on the OSOC secretary’s demands. There is no confusion whatsoever as remark-ed by Sabyasachi Panda. As regard the fresh demand of the AOBSZC to release five more persons, the government is examining the legal aspect of it,” Mr Patnaik said.