Chhattisgarh govt forms panel to get Sukma collector back

The Chhattisgarh government has decided to appoint a sub-committee headed by Chief Minister Raman Singh to respond to the abduction of Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon. The meeting was called by the chief minister at his residence on Sunday evening, after it emerged that the Naxals had set a 25 April for the release of eight Maoists in exchange for the IAS officer. During the meeting it was decided that a sub-committee would be appointed to look into the abduction case. [caption id=“attachment_284862” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Alex Paul Menon was abducted by Naxals on Sunday: PTI”]  [/caption] The committee will comprise State home minister Nanki Ram Kanwar, Tribal Welfare minister Kedar Kashyap, Water Resources minister Ramvichar Netam and School Education minister Brijmohan Agrawal. Officials said that the sub-committee would keep a tab on all the matters pertaining to the issue. At the meeting it was also decided that an all-party meeting would soon be held to discuss the matter further. Meanwhile Union Home Secretary RK Singh assured the full support of the Centre. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi he said, “We are in touch with the state government. Whatever support they ask from us, we will give”. Maoists on Sunday demanded the release of eight of their jailed leaders in Chattisgarh and a halt to “Operation Green Hunt” targeting them in exchange for the release of Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon. Additional Director General of Police Ram Nivas (anti- Naxal operations) told reporters that the demands had been made by an unidentified Naxal leader in an audio message to media organisations. The authenticity of the audio tape was being verified, he said, adding that no Maoist group has conveyed the demands directly to the state government. According to Nivas, the Naxalites demanded an immediate end to “Operation Green Hunt”(the anti-Maoist operations), the release of eight jailed Maoist leaders, including two women, and the return to barracks of security forces in Bastar region. In the message, the Maoist leader alleged that false cases had been foisted against the eight jailed ultras. “The police so far has not received it. We came to know from the media,” he said. The state government called an emergency meeting after the terms and conditions were issued to the BBC correspondent in Raipur on his mobile. A Hindustan Times report also quoted N Baijendra Kumar, principal secretary to the chief minister as saying that “It would be too early to react to such demands. We need to check the veracity of the recorded message. We are evaluating various options. The government is closely monitoring the situation and working on various fronts to ensure safe and early release of the abducted officer." Earlier on Sunday, Chattisgarh police claimed that the collector in Maoists custody is safe. Meanwhile, social activist Swami Agnivesh offered to mediate between the Naxals and the government to secure the release of Alex Paul Menon, the IAS officer who was abducted at Majhipara village in Raipur district where he was meeting villagers for a government outreach programme. Swami Agnivesh told PTI he was ready to mediate and was waiting for the government or the Naxals to approach him. Agencies