Fresh talks for release of abducted MLA, Italian

                                                                        
Bhubaneswar, Apr 6 : Fresh talks were held today between the Odisha government and the Maoist mediators, a day after the government named the 27 jailed people to be freed in return for the release of BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka and Italian Paolo Bosusco taken hostage by two separate Naxal groups.
However, the abductors of 37-year-old Laxmipur MLA and 54-year-old Italian were yet to respond to the announcement of the names of prisoners to be freed.
While the three-member state government team was led by Home Secretary U N Behera, the two Maoist-nominated negotiators were B D Sharma and Dandapani Mohanty.
The focus of discussion was to examine the names of persons whose release from jails would be facilitated, while 12 other points in the 13-point charter of demands put forward by the abductors of the Italian were also deliberated.
The focus of discussion was to examine the names of persons whose release from jails would be facilitated, while 12 other points in the 13-point charter of demands put forward by the abductors of the Italian were also deliberated.

Though it was not immediately clear what transpired during the talks, the need to speed up the process of the Italian's release was believed to have been emphasised by the government side, sources said.

Sabyasachi Panda, secretary of Odisha State Organising Committee of CPI (Maoist), had in an audio message demanded immediate release from jail of seven persons, including his wife Subhashree Das alias Mili Panda for Bosusco's release.