Hostage crisis: Hopes pinned on mediators, medicines rushed

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The Centre and Chattisgarh government on Tuesday pinned hopes on the mediators of the state and Maoists to end the four-day hostage crisis involving Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon whose ‘critical’ health condition prompted authorities to rush medicines for him.

A worried Asha, Menon's wife, has also appealed to Maoists to send an audio/video tape of her husband, so that she can gauge his condition.

With just a day left for the Maoists' April 25 deadline to Chattisgarh government to meet its demands in exchange for the freedom of Menon, the state on Tuesday named two former chief secretaries of Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh – Nirmala Buch and S.K. Mishra – as its nominees to hold talks with the Naxals.

The Maoists named Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, former National SC/ST Commission chairperson B.D. Sharma and president of All India Adivasi Mahasabha Manish Kunjam as their mediators.

However, Bhushan and Kunjam declined to mediate on behalf of the Maoists. It was immediately not known when and where the talks will take place.

Medicines on a helicopter

Kunjam however agreed to take the medicines to the 32-year-old 2006 batch IAS officer and was on his way to an undisclosed location after Menon was taken captive last Saturday. He was taken in a helicopter from Raipur and was proceeding to Tarimetla village by road to hand over the medicines for Menon, who is an asthma patient.

"Menon's life is supreme. I will be going to Sukma soon to take the medicines and then proceed to Tarimetla. Thereafter, I will come back," he said.

"We have been told by the family members that he (Menon) is an asthma patient and his health is deteriorating," Chief Minister Raman Singh told reporters. The officer's abductors have conveyed that the condition of Menon is ‘critical’.

Buch said his top priority will be to ensure safe release of collector of Menon.

"I hope that the crisis will be resolved soon through dialogue," Buch, who is expected to reach Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, said over phone from Bhopal.

Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh hoped that the crisis will be resolved soon with the appointment of mediators.

Raman Singh said since the dialogue process will be starting the Maoists should not insist on any deadline.