Orissa CM to withdraw cases against tribals booked on Maoists charges by June
Bhubaneswar, May 25 ANI: Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has assured Maoist mediators that cases against tribals and some others, who had been lodged in jails on charges of Maoist activities, would be withdrawn by June. Maoist mediators including Dandapani Mohanty, Professor Hargopal and V V Rao met Patnaik here on Tuesday. Patnaik said nine cases involving 168 accused persons are being processed for the withdrawal of prosecution. "We have reviewed the cases against some of the tribals that they have discussed at the time of the Malkangiri incident. Nine cases involving 168 accused persons are being processed for withdrawal of prosecution. In addition, 55 minor cases, minor offence cases are also being withdrawn," said Patnaik. Noting that the state in the past had withdrawn several cases against tribals, Patnaik said that the Maoists also must stop violence in the region. "Over the past few years, it has been asking government policies to withdraw cases, minor cases against the tribals, so in the last several years thousands of minor cases against the tribals have been removed. I also made it quite clear that violence should stop, that the Maoists must stop their violence, as you know several violent incidents have taken place in the last three months. This must stop I made that very clear," added Patnaik. Hargopal said the mediators conveyed their displeasure and urged the state government to implement the agreement. "We in fact did tell the government that we fell let down by the government because we thought that within these three months government will keep up its promises, that was the promise of the Chief Minister, but no serious action was taken on many issues, we have no knowledge of what the government was trying to do. But this time, we have insisted that they have to give us a time bound programme and particularly release of the Gantiprasadam, Srinivas, Padma. Now they said that within 15 days the cases will be withdrawn, they will be released," he added. Both the state government and the three mediators had signed in an agreement to ensure safe release of the then Malkangiri district collector R Vineel Krishna and junior engineer Pabitra Majhi on February 16. Though the state government in the agreement had promised to withdraw cases against tribals within three months, not a single person was released and the deadline ended on Tuesday. ANI
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