Italian Tourists Abducted

Odisha: Talks resume as the hostage crisis deepens

New Delhi: Odisha government on Monday resumed talks with negotiators to end the hostage crisis after Naxal leader Sabyasachi Panda issued an ultimatum, threatening to kill Italian tourist Bosusco Paulo if the Naveen Patnaik government fails to fulfill their demands.

Panda on Monday released a fresh audio tape. He said that the Odisha government had not made it clear as to what demands they had agreed to meet.

Panda further said, "There will be dire consequences if the Odisha government makes unnecessary delays in fulfilling our demands. We have information that the government is planning to launch a police operation against us. We will not release the hostage till the government clarifies which of our demands have been met. All our leaders who are in jail including Subhasree Panda must be released immediately.'

State Home Secretary UN Behera said that after verifying the tape with the negotiators, the government has resumed talks....more    

Italians abducted: Naxals issue fresh deadline

New Delhi: Naxal leader Sabyasachi Panda has reportedly issued a fresh audio tape regarding the abducted Italian nationals and set Tuesday evening as the new deadline for the state government to respond. The message in the tape says that the two Italian tourists are safe and are being fed well. The Naxals have also announced a unilateral ceasefire and urged the odisha government to declare the halt of all operations...  

Willing to talk to Maoists: Odisha CM Patnaik

New Delhi: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Monday that the Odisha government was willing to hold discussion with the Maoists over the abduction of two Italian nationals by the force. He said that the two, one of whom has been staying in Puri for the past 20 years, should be released immediately without any harm. "The government has received the statement sent in by the Maoists asking for...