Ruling BJD MLA abducted by armed Maoists in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Ruling Biju Janata Dal MLA from Laxmipur (ST) Assembly seat Jhinna Hikaka was abducted by armed Maoists late last night from Tayaput on the Koraput- Laxmipur roaad while he was returning from Semiliguda. Deputy Inspector General of police (DIG) South Western Range Soumendra Priyadarshi told media over phone that Hikaka was returning with his Personal Security offi cer (PSO) at about 0120 hrs when he was kidnapped by the armed Maoists. The left wing extremist kidnapped the MLA, his PSO and the driver but later at about 0400 hrs, they released the driver and the PSO and took away Mr Hikaka with them inside the dense forests. Priyadarshi said neither the MLA nor the PSO had informed the police about their programme of returning from Semeliguda to Laxmipur in late night. He said the MLA got down from his vehicle when he noticed that some vehicles were stranded on the Koraput Laxmipur road at Tayapur, about fi ve kms away from Laxmipur. By the time the ruling BJD MLA could realise the gravity of the situation, several armed Maoists who had dug the road disrupting the communication in view of today’s bandh called by the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee, encircled him and took him hostage along with the driver and the PSO. But later, the Maoists released the driver and the PSO who reported the matter to the Laxmipur police station about the abduction of the MLA. The abduction of the ruling BJD MLA by the Maoists has exposed the differences in the cadres operating in Odisha since CPI (Maoist) Odisha Organising Committee Secretary Sabya Sachi Panda had announced a unilateral ceasefi re to facilitate the negotiation for the release of two Italian nationals kidnapped by the Red rebels on March 14 last from the dense forests in Kandhmal district.