New Delhi: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday named the 27 Naxals who would be released in exchange for the abducted Italian tourist Paolo Bosusco and BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka.
Patnaik said that Mili Panda, wife of Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, will also be released.
"Odisha government will take legal procedures to facilitate release of 27 as demanded by the Naxals. We hope Maoists will reciprocate our gesture and release the young MLA and the Italian hostage," he said.
Earlier, Naxals on Thursday extended the deadline for Hikaka's release till April 7. Meanwhile, the Italian ambassador met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar after the state government agreed to release 27 prisoners in exchange for the Italian tourist Paolo Bosusco and Jhina Hikaka.
Kaushalya Maji, wife of abducted BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka, requested Naxals to release her husband and solve the problems through talks.
A Maoist leader telephoned a section of the media saying the deadline, which was to end this evening, has been extended till the evening of April 7.
The leader of Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee of CPI (Maoist) (AOBSZC), which abducted Hikaka used the MLA's phone to inform the media about the extension of the deadline, sources said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the 27 names of prisoners to be released in the assembly. The state government would take legal steps for their release.
Among them, 15 belonged to the Maoist-backed Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha, eight Maoists and four from the list furnished by Odisha State Organising Committee of CPI (Maoist).
"As you can see, the state government has made this gesture on humanitarian grounds. I hope that the Maoists will reciprocate in a similar spirit and release the MLA and the Italian national immediately," Patnaik said.
He said the eight Maoists to be released included six from Odisha and a couple from Andhra Pradesh Murla Neelam Reddy and his wife Setu Pangi.
The four to be released for freeing Italian Paolo Bosusco included Subhashree Das, also known as Mili Panda, the wife of Sabyasachi Panda, secretary of Odisha State Organising Committee of CPI (Maoist).
The Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee of CPI (Maoist) was behind Hikaka's abduction while Sabyasachi Panda's outfit was responsible for that of the Italian.
Bosusco had been kidnapped along with another Italian Claudio Colangelo while they were trekking in Kandhamal district on March 14. Colangelo was freed on March 25.
A day earlier, Hikaka was abducted from Koraput district when he was returning home.
Meanwhile, Italian Ambassador Giacomo Sanfelice di Monteforte met the chief minister on Thursday evening and discussed the hostage crisis involving Bosusco, a Puri-based tour operator from his country.
With the names of those to be released announced, the twin hostage crisis appeared to be moving towards an early resolution, an official said.
(With additional inputs from PTI)
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