Parliamentarians demanded action against Team Anna for the derogatory remarks made during Hazare's fast at Janatar Mantar on Sunday. ...
10:33 PM, Mar 26, 2012
Bhubaneswar: The second round of talks between the Naxal-appointed interlocutors and the government's representatives to end the Odisha hostage crisis began on Monday. While one of the abducted Italians Claudio Colangelo was released on Sunday, talks resumed to secure the release of the second Italian hostage Paulo Bosusco. Naxals released the other tourist Claudio Colangelo on Sunday after keeping him captive for almost two weeks. Naxal leader Sabyasachi Panda in...
12:35 PM, Mar 26, 2012
Bhubaneswar: Naxals released one of the two Italian hostages Claudio Colangelo on Sunday after almost two weeks in custody. He said he wasn't threatened. Claudio, who was not keeping well, was handed over to a group of three journalists near Kandhamal who took him to Surada Police Station. He was subjected to a medical examination at the Irrigation Department bungalow. Claudio expressed happiness after being released by the Maoists, but...
09:54 AM, Mar 26, 2012
Bhubaneshwar:After almost 12 days of captivity, Maoists finally released Claudio Colangelo, one of the two Italian hostages abducted by the Maoists led by Sabyasachi Panda on March 14. The Maoist leader has made two demands including the release of his wife from jail before the Odisha government to set the second Italian hostage free. According to Claudio they were both treated well and were made to sleep in tents while...
09:26 PM, Mar 25, 2012
Bhubaneshwar: Released Italian national Claudio Colangelo expressed happiness after being released by the Maoists, but added that he was sad as his friend Bosusco Paolo was still in captivity. "I am both happy and sad. I am sad that Paolo is still in Maoist captivity. I can't comment on government's role as I had no information on what was happening outside," Claudio, who was handed over to a group of...
04:30 PM, Mar 25, 2012
Koraput: A pall of gloom descended on abducted BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka's family and his Laxmipur constituency in Koraput district. "My husband never harmed anyone. He has been working for the welfare of tribals and I appeal to the Maoists to free him without causing him any harm," pleaded his wife, Kaushalaya. The 37-year-old MLA's aged parents and two minor sons at his home at Dumuripadar village are also worried....
03:39 PM, Mar 25, 2012
Bhubaneshwar: Maoists released one Italian hostage on Sunday, raising hopes of an end to the 12-day old crisis that has engulfed the Odisha government. The released hostage, Claudia Colangelo, was abducted by the Maoists led by Sabyasachi Panda on March 14 along with another Italian Bosusco Paolo and two Indians. The 61-year-old Colangelo, who was not keeping well, was handed over to a group of three journalists near Kandhamal. The...
02:44 PM, Mar 25, 2012
New Delhi: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday held an emergency meeting at 11.30 am on the ongoing hostage crises in the state. "There is no response from the abductors of the MLA and I hope they will respond immediately. We also do not have any information about the release of the two Italians," the Chief Minister said. The government has not received any demand from the Maoists for...
11:51 AM, Mar 25, 2012
Bhubaneswar: It has been 12 days since two Italian nationals were abducted up by Maoists in Odisha. On Saturday, matters were made worse after a rival faction of the Naxals abducted a BJD MLA and the mediators appointed by the Maoists suspended talks with the government in protest. The latest development has put the Naveen Patnaik government in a fix. Italy has expressed its concern over the issue. "The Italian...
07:55 AM, Mar 25, 2012
Bhubaneswar: In the wake of abduction of an MLA and the ten-day-old Italian hostage crisis, Opposition Congress on Saturday said it is contemplating to bring a no-confidence motion against the Odisha government for its "failure" in tackling the Maoist menace. The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has also demanded Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's resignation, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan said. "We are contemplating to bring a no-confidence motion against the state...
10:56 PM, Mar 24, 2012
Bhubaneswar: The Maoist crisis in Odisha has taken a turn for the worse, after the two Italians, now a MLA Jhina Hikaka from Naveen Patnaik's party, the BJD, has been abducted. However, top police sources have conformed to CNN-IBN that the Maoists faction responsible for the abducted is different from the one which took the Italians hostage. Hikaka has been kidnapped by Maoists, even as negotiations were on to secure...
09:04 PM, Mar 24, 2012
Bhubaneswar: The two negotiators for the Maoists, B D Sharma and Dandapani Mohanty, on Saturday suspended all talks between the Odisha government and the Naxals citing "atrocities by both parties". Addressing a press conference, the negotiators appealed to the Maoists to free all the three hostages, two Italian nationals and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Jhina Hikaka, on humanitarian grounds. It must be noted that the third round of talks...
04:09 PM, Mar 24, 2012
New Delhi: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday called up Home Minister P Chidambaram and briefed him about the situation arising out of the kidnapping of an MLA and two Italians by Naxals. During their telephonic talk, the Home Minister asked the Chief Minister whether he needed any assistance from the Centre to deal with the situation. However, sources said, Patnaik did not seek any help. Odisha Chief Secretary...
03:09 PM, Mar 24, 2012
Bhubaneswar: Hitting out at the BJD government over the abduction of a tribal MLA, the opposition Congress and BJP in Odisha on Saturday accused it of being hand in glove with Maoists and pushing the state into anarchy by ignoring Centre's advisories. "The BJD government is hand in glove with Maoists. It was clear when Maoist-backed panchayat representatives supported BJD candidates in recent zilla parishad elections in Koraput," Leader of...
01:27 PM, Mar 24, 2012
Bhubaneswar: Acting swiftly after the abduction of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Jhina Hikaka by the Maoists, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has decided to send two ministers for negotiating and securing his release. The chief minister has also said that the negotiations with regard to two Italian hostages, who were abducted by the Maoists 11 days ago, will continue with Naxal interlocutors for their release. The statement from Patnaik...
11:14 AM, Mar 24, 2012
Bhubaneswar: The abduction of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Jhina Hikaka has come just days after two Italians were taken hostage by Maoists in Odisha. Negotiations have yielded no concrete results yet, with the government insisting that Naxals have to stop violence first if they want their demands met. One of the Italian hostages, Bosusco Paolo, wrote a letter to his family, which was sent by the Naxals along with...
09:17 AM, Mar 24, 2012
Lamba Bandha (Odisha): Nine days after Maoists abducted two Italians - Bosusco Paolo and Claudio Colangelo, the second round of negotiations between the government negotiators and the Maoists to free the hostages are set to resume on Friday. The first round of negotiations ended on Thursday in a stalemate. Dandapani Mohanty, one of the mediators suggested by the Maoists, claimed that one of the hostages could be released on Friday...
12:00 PM, Mar 23, 2012
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday slammed the central government for not cooperating in the case of abduction of two Italian nationals in Odisha, and demanding a statement from it. BJD leader B Mahtab raised the issue in the lower house during zero hour Thursday, and was backed by the BJP and Shiv Sena. BJP leader LK Advani termed it as a...
02:03 AM, Mar 23, 2012
Bhubaneswar: There has been no breakthrough in the talks between the Odisha government and Maoists in connection with the abduction of two Italian nationals in the state. The Naxals have now asked the government to make jailed Maoists Amit Baghci or Kobad Gandhi a negotiator. The negotiations will continue on Friday. The talks between Maoist mediators and Odisha government representatives began on Thursday to resolve the eight-day old crisis triggered...
07:45 PM, Mar 22, 2012
Bhubaneswar: Negotiations between the mediators and Maoists are set to begin on Thursday. Mediator Dandapani Mohanty has told CNN-IBN that one hostage will be freed on Thursday if two of their 13 demands of the Maoists are met. The demands include action against officials who violated human rights of tribals and freeing several Maoist sympathisers including Sabyasachi Panda's wife Subhasree Panda. The Italian hostage Claudio Colangelo who is reportedly ill...
02:39 PM, Mar 22, 2012
