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Chhattisgarh CM urges Maoists not to fix deadline | With the deadline looming large for the safe release of
abducted Sukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh on Tuesday urged the Maoists not to fix a deadline till the negotiations are over. "It will not be appropriate to fix a deadline because mediators are going to sit and negotiate the issue. I have also appealed that the deadline should
be extended till the negotiations are over," he said. The state government today
appointed two retired bureaucrats, as mediators to negotiate with the ultras to
secure Menon's safe release. Singh informed that both officials, Nirmala Buch
and S. K. Mishra, had given their consent after a telephonic conversation with
him. "I talked to retired chief secretary of (neighbouring) Madhya Pradesh Nirmala
Buch and sought her help in the negotiation. The second person is retired chief
secretary of Chhattisgarh S. K. Mishra. I talked to both of them last night (April
23) and sought their consent," he said. The state government also rushed medicines
for Menon hours after the rebels informed that he was critically ill. "The necessary
medicine will reach Tarimetla (village) in time and it will help to address the
problem related to his health," added Singh. In a statement, the Maoists termed
Menon's health as critical and asked the mediators to bring medicines along with
them. The Maoists asked the government not to indulge in 'delay tactics', as Menon's
health was deteriorating. They said only the three persons named by them will
be allowed to negotiate in Tarimetla village and asked them to accept the invitation
to act as mediators. The Maoists have also nominated the names of former National
SC/ST Commission chairperson B D Sharma, Team Anna member and Supreme Court lawyer
Prashant Bhushan and All India Adivasi Mahasabha President Manish Kunjam. Both
Bhushan and Kunjam have, however, refused to mediate in the matter. The Naxals
have demanded the release of eight colleagues: Markam Gopanna alias Satyam Reddy,
Nirmal Akka alias Vijay Laxmi, Devpal Chandrashekhar Reddy, Shantipriya Reddy,
Meena Choudhari, Korsa Sunny, Markam Sunny and Asit Kumar Sen. The ultras also
want anti-Naxal Operation Green Hunt to be cancelled, security forces to be withdrawn
from the region and persons against whom they allege "fake cases" have been registered,
released from the jails. In an audacious operation, Maoist rebels on Saturday
abducted Menon, an IAS officer of 2006 batch, from the middle of a meeting with
villagers from Majhipara village in Keralapal area of the Naxal-infected district.
The Sukma district collector's kidnapping comes even as uncertainty continues
over the fate of ruling BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka in neighbouring Odisha who was abducted
by the Maoists about a month ago. Menon is the first collector of the newly-created
Sukma district and was known to be pro-active in undertaking development work
in the backward region.
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