Malkangiri (Orissa)/New Delhi, February 17
Demanding a halt to anti-Naxal operations and freeing of jailed compatriots, Maoists kidnapped Malkangiri District Collector RV Krishna and junior engineer Pabitra Mohan Majhi even as authorities today launched “back channel” efforts for release of the 30-year-old IAS officer.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram spoke to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the phone and asked him to make all efforts for the safe return of the 2005 batch IAS officer, who was abducted yesterday evening by a group of 50 Maoists, officials said. The Naxalites have set a two-day deadline for meeting their demands.

The incident took place when Krishna was on a visit to the remote Chitrakonda area, a Maoist stronghold about 85 km from here on the Andhra Pradesh border, to attend a camp for local development, the police said. After the camp, he went to inspect a culvert on a road nearby on a motorcycle along with two junior engineers and another person, Chitrakonda Tehsildar D Gopal Krishnan said.

While the collector and junior engineer Pabitra Mohan Majhi were held hostage, two others reached Badapada late last night with a letter, apparently written by the collector, and handed it over to senior officials, Krishnan said. The message listed the Maoist demand of release of all tribal Naxalites within two days and stopping of combing operation conducted either by the Orissa police or Andhra Pradesh police. It is perhaps the first-ever abduction of an IAS officer in Orissa by the Naxalites.

The Orissa Chief Minister reviewed the situation with state Chief Secretary BK Patnaik, Home Secretary UN Behera and other top officials and said that the government was evaluating all options and monitoring the case. “I appeal for early release of the young and energetic officer, who is known for his hard work among the poor and the tribals,” the Chief Minister told reporters.

Officials in Bhubaneswar said that the state government had contacted Naxal sympathiser and balladeer Varavara Rao and social activist Swami Agnivesh for help to get the collector freed. Swami Agnivesh told PTI over the phone that Orissa Home Secretary UN Behera had contacted him. “I am ready to mediate but I want Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to speak to me.” The state government should take steps for fulfillment of some “reasonable demands” made by the Maoists and announce a judicial inquiry into encounters that took place in December and January as most of these were alleged to be fake, he said.

VaraVara Rao said the state government should create an atmosphere for talks by making announcements on certain issues and asked Maoists to treat abducted Malkangiri district collector and the engineer as prisoners of war. “Since the government has declared a war against Naxals, I have told the Andhra-Orissa border committee of Maoists to treat collector RV Krishna and junior engineer Pabitra Majhi as PoWs and not to cause them any harm,” Rao, a Naxal ideologue, told PTI.

In Delhi, Home Secretary GK Pillai said, “I think it will take some time (for the release) because the area is quite cut-off but back channel efforts are underway... but we are quite confident of getting him back.” He said, “In the limited area if the operation is to be stopped or not, the state government is fully competent to take a view. It was done in Chhattisgarh a few days ago where for 48 hours the operation was suspended to enable the release of abducted policemen.”

The incident rocked the Orissa Assembly with the Opposition Congress storming the well of the House and asking the BJD government to give information on Krishna's whereabouts and spelling out steps being taken for his release. — PTI