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Naxals release abducted cops in Orissa
The police officials were released after 11 days of confinement in deep jungles.
Two police officials abducted by armed Maoists from Ramagiri Udayagiri town of Orissa's Gajapati district on March 24 were released in a dramatic fashion on Tuesday.
The police officials were released after 11 days of confinement in deep jungles.
Superintendent of R Udayagiri sub-jail Rabinarayan Sethi and officer-in-charge of the local police station Ranjan Kumar Mallick were handed over to a media team at an undisclosed place in the district, reports available said.
When contacted, Gajapati district collector Binod Bihari Mohanty said the two freed policemen had been set free somewhere near Adaba. They were being taken to Ramagiri Udayagiri town, he added.
Both the released men were in good health and looking forward to rejoining their family members, the reports said.
The Naxalites had put forward five demands, including according political status to their arrested comrades, before the Government for releasing the two hostages but apparently set them free on 'humanitarian considerations.'
None of the demands had so far been fulfilled by the Government.
Among other demands of the Naxals were a halt to alleged plundering of natural resources in the name of industrial development and displacing people to set up industrial units.
"I am very happy to be released," Sethi said.
Asked why they had been released, he said, " don't know why they released me. But I am very happy."
