Maoists tell BJD MLA he must resign once freed

Odisha BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka has reportedly been told that he must resign from his post if Maoist demands are not met once he is freed. Hikaka who was abducted on 24 March in the Koratpur district was reportedly released by a People’s Court on Wednesday, according to Nihar Ranjan Patnaik, a lawyer who fights cases for the rebels.  The rebels had been demanding the release of 29 prisoners, mostly members of the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS), which works mainly in the southern parts of the state, including Malkangiri and Koraput districts, on tribal-related issues. Patnaik told television channels that the Maoists would hand the Hikaka over to him and the wife of the abducted Biju Janata Dal legislator, in the Narayanpatna area of the district. Patnaik also said the Maoists took the decision after the legislator pledged in writing to resign from the membership of the assembly if the government did not fulfil their demands. The state government agreed to release 25 of them but the guerrillas rejected the offer and announced that Hikaka’s fate would be decided in a people’s court on April 25. The fate of the 37-year-old MLA remained uncertain with Maoist leaders speaking in different voices regarding their demands and the manner in which Hikaka should be freed. With inputs from Agencies