the red rage

6 Maoists killed in encounter Six Maoists and one jawan were killed and another injured during a fierce encounter between the ultras and security forces at Karamdih in Latehar district in Jharkhand on Thursday, police said. IGP (Zonal) Deepak Verma said the security men had seen bodies of six Maoists being dragged away by their associates after they fell to bullets.

Naxals fire at copter Ranchi: A 'Dhruv' helicopter deployed for anti-Naxal operations in Assam was fired upon by suspected Maoists on Thursday. The helicopter is safe and has been grounded for inspection. "The helicopter had gone to a location in Latehar to airlift two personnel. It was fired at but it did not crash," CRPF Inspector General (Operations) D K Pandey said.

Odisha Finalises names BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka is in captivity Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the names of 27 prisoners to be released in the Assembly. The state government would take legal steps for their release. Among them, 15 belong to the Maoist-backed Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha, eight Maoists and four from the list furnished by Odisha State Organising Committee of CPI (Maoist).

Bhubaneswar, April 5
Maoists extended the deadline till April 7 for the release of BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka while Odisha government today named the 27 prisoners to be freed for him and Italian Paulo Bosusco being held hostage by two separate groups of the rebels.

A Maoist leader called up a section of the media saying the deadline, which was to end this evening, has been extended till April 7.

The leader of Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee of CPI (Maoist) (AOBSZC), which abducted Hikaka used the MLA's phone to inform the media about the extension of the deadline.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the names of 27 prisoners in the Assembly. The state government would take legal steps for their release. Among them, 15 belong to the Maoist-backed Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha, and four from the list furnished by Odisha State Organising Committee of CPI (Maoist).

“As you can see, the state government has made this gesture on humanitarian grounds. I hope the Maoists will reciprocate in a similar spirit and release the MLA and the Italian national immediately,”Patnaik said.

He said the eight Maoists to be released included six from Odisha and a couple — Murla Neelam Reddy and his wife Setu Pangi — from Andhra Pradesh.

The four to be released for freeing Italian Paolo Bosusco included Subhashree Das, also known as Mili Panda, the wife of Sabyasachi Panda, secretary of Odisha State Organising Committee of CPI (Maoist). The Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee of CPI (Maoist) was behind Hikaka’s abduction while Sabyasachi Panda's outfit was responsible for that of the Italian.

Bosusco had been kidnapped along with another Italian Claudio Colangelo while they were trekking in Kandhamal district on March 14. Colangelo was freed on March 25. A day earlier, Hikaka was abducted from Koraput district when he was returning home. Italian Ambassador Giacomo Sanfelice di Monteforte met the chief minister here this evening and discussed the hostage crisis involving Bosusco, a Puri-based tour operator from his country. — PTI