BHUBANESWAR: The hostage crisis appears to be caught in a logjam as the State Government waits for the bail applications to be moved for 23 persons agreed to be released in exchange for MLA Jhina Hikaka even as Maoists have demanded complete withdrawal of the cases against them.With the fate of the abducted MLA still remaining unknown after three weeks, sources said the State Government has started exploring the possibilities of back channel negotiations with the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) and the CPI(Maoist) group.The Odisha Government on Saturday hoped that bail applications for the 23 activists of the CMAS and the CPI(Maoist) are likely to be filed by Monday or Tuesday. The district administration is reported to be in touch with the advocate of the CPI (Maoist) and the CMAS in this regard.Home Secretary U N Behera told mediapersons here on Saturday that no decision has yet been taken on the demand of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the CPI(Maoist) for withdrawal of cases against the prisoners for their release.Nihar Patnaik, advocate of the CMAS and the CPI(Maoist), said the State Government can withdraw cases on the prisoners on political ground and in the larger interest of the people. This can be done under Section 321 of the CrPC, he said, adding that release by bail applications is not a foolproof method. He said all the cases against the CMAS activists and the CPI(Maoist) leaders should be shifted to the fast track court at Koraput for their speedy disposal.Sources said the BJD MLAs from Koraput district are on the job to persuade leaders of the CMAS, particularly convener Nachika Linga, to at least open channels of negotiations on the demands so that a solution can be reached. But there has been no success in this regard so far, a senior BJD leader of the district said and added that efforts are on. Meanwhile, the silence of the Maoist group for the last four days has increased the anxiety level of the family members. In his last Press note, Jagabandhu, the spokesman of the AOBSZC, had demanded release of 30 prisoners, including Cheda Bhusanam alias Ghasi, a hardcore Maoist, in exchange for the abducted MLA.The State Government has, however, stuck to its decision to facilitate the release of 23 prisoners, including 15 from the CMAS and eight Maoists. It has virtually rejected the demand of the AOBSZC of the CPI(Maoist) for the release of five more prisoners, including Ghasi, who is involved in several incidents of Naxalite violence.
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