Free our beloved tribal friendly collector, people's appeal to

Bhubaneswa (PTI) - "Free our beloved Collector."
"Please release the tribal friendly Collector."
This was an emotional message to Maoists from people
from all walks of life as they took out spontaneous peace
processions in several parts of eastern Indian state Orissa on
Thursday in a mass outpouring of concern lending weight to
appeals by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and political parties
cutting across party lines.
Intellectuals, lawyers, teachers, school and college
students and housewives staged a procession in the district
headquarter town of Malkangiri protesting against the
abduction of District Collector R V Krishna and engineer
Pabitra Majhi abductted by Maoists.
The silent procession snaked through the town carrying
placards and banners with appeals like "Free our beloved
Collector" and "Please release the tribal friendly Collector."
Appealing to the not to cause any harm to the abducted
duo, they said violence offered no solution to any problem.
The mother of abducted junior engineer Pabitra Majhi
broke down and in a choked voice made an appeal to the Maoists
to release her son and also Krishna without causing them any
harm.
"I am appealing to the Maoists to release my son as
well as the district collector of Malkangiri," Parbati Majhi
said
Normal life was affected in the tribal-dominated and
Maoist-hit district as schools, colleges, offices, shops and
business establishments remained closed in a spontaneous
response to the abduction. None had given any call for bandh.
Describing Krishna as a sincere officer who worked
hard for the development of the backward district and welfare
of the poor and tribals, the locals also held an all-faith
prayer meeting for his early release.
Similar peace processions were also organised in
neighbouring Koraput, Jeypore and Rayagada districts.
"The Maoists should not have kidnapped Krishna who had
gone to Chitrakonda area to hear about people's problems and
find solutions," district collector of Rayagada Nitin Bhanudas
Jawle said while attending a prayer meet.
He said Krishna's sincerity and commitment towards the
people, particularly tribals, was evident from the fact that
he did not even hesitate to take a bike ride without security
to inspect a culvert.
Describing the abduction as unfortunate, Naveen Patnaik
said the young and energetic "tribal-friendly" IAS officer
was known for his hard work among the poor and tribals.
"The collector has been working hard for tribals. The
poor and junior engineer (Pabitra Majhi) hails from a tribal
family. Therefore, they should be released immediately,"
Patnaik said.
In a statement in the state Assembly, Patnaik said:
"On behalf of this august House, I make a sincere appeal for
the release of the collector and the junior engineer".
In perhaps the first ever abduction of an IAS officer by Maoists, Malkangiri district collector R V Krishna was kidnapped after which
Orissa government conceded one of the two demands by Naxals by
halting combing operations across the state.
30-year-old Krishna, a 2005 batch IAS officer, was
kidnapped last evening by a group of 50 Maoists, officials
said on Thursday. The Naxals have set a two-day deadline for
meeting their demands--halt to anti-Naxal operations and
freeing of jailed compatriots.
Krishna was on a visit to the remote Chitrakonda area,
a Maoist stronghold about 85 km from here, to attend a camp
for local development, police said.
He was taken hostage after he went from a public
interaction camp held at Badapada bordering Andhra Pradesh to
inspect a culvert on a road nearby on a motorcycle along with
two junior engineers and another person, Chitrakonda Tehsildar
D Gopal Krishnan said.
The collector and a junior engineer--Pabitra Majhi--
were held captive while the two others reached Badapada late
last night with a letter and handed it over to senior
officials, he said.
In a bid to facilitate the safe release of the two
men, Orissa government halted combing operations across the
state.
"Instructions have been issued to stop combing
operations across the state, including in Malkangiri from
where the district collector and a junior engineer were
abducted last evening," state Home Secretary U N Behera
said in Bhubaneswar.
The government, he said, was hopeful that the abductors
would release the two men by tomorrow as one of their major
demands have been fulfilled. "We think that there is no need
to appeal for an extension of the deadline."
As authorities launched "back channel" efforts to secure
the release of the captives, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram
spoke to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on phone and
asked him to make all efforts for safe return of Krishna.
Officials in Bhubaneswar said the state government has
contacted Naxal sympathiser and balladeer Varavara Rao and
social activist Swami Agnivesh for help.
Patnaik reviewed the situation with state Chief
Secretary B K Patnaik, Home Secretary U N Behera and other top
officials and said that the government was evaluating all
options and monitoring the case.
"I appeal for early release of the young and energetic
officer, who is known for his hard work among the poor and the
tribals," the Chief Minister told reporters.
In Delhi, Home Secretary G K Pillai said, "I think it
will take some time (for the release) because the area is
quite cut-off but back channel efforts are underway... we
are quite confident of getting him back."
Swami Agnivesh said he was ready to help the
government for the safe release of Krishna.
Thousands of people from all walks of life also took
out spontaneous peace processions in several parts of Orissa
in a mass outpouring of concern and appealed for the release
of the two captives.