The designated interlocutors began talks with top Orissa government officials here Sunday, and both said later that neither the government nor the Maoists would resort to violence while efforts to resolve the hostage crisis were on.
The two interlocutors, Prof. G. Hargopal and Prof. R. Someswar Rao, who arrived here from Hyderabad by a private plane, went to the State Guest House and conferred with state home secretary Upendra Nath Behera and panchayati raj secretary S.N. Tripathy for over four hours before lunch.
In the post-lunch session, Jana Adhikar Manch convenor Dandapani Mohanty, whose name was earlier proposed by the Maoists as a third interlocutor but not considered by the government, joined the discussions, apparently at the urging of Prof. Hargopal and Prof. Rao.
A joint declaration read out in the evening by the home secretary said: “All demands of the Maoists for the release of Malkangiri collector R. Vineel Kumar and junior engineer Pabitra Majhi were discussed. It was agreed there shall not be any combing operation in the state, and the Maoists shall not cause any untoward incident (to) vitiate the peace process. There shall not be any road blockade by Maoists.”
It said the mediators had pledged no harm had been done to the kidnapped officials.