India informs Italy of efforts to release Italian hostages
Sunday March 18, 2012 07:39:15 PM,
IANS
|
|
|
Related Articles |
Two Italians abducted in Odisha, claim Maoists
Maoists Sunday claimed to have
abducted two Italian tourists in Odisha, a local television
channel report said. Police are verifying if the incident is true.
The Maoists, in an audio message sent to a local reporter in the
wee hours of Sunday, said the tourists were kidnapped at the
»
|
Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: India Sunday informed Italy of the efforts being made by
the Odisha government for early release of two Italian nationals
who were taken hostage by Maoists as External Affairs Minister S.M.
Krishna spoke to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik about the evolving
situation.
Patnaik informed Krishna of the ongoing efforts being made by his
government for an early release of the abducted Italian nationals.
"Two Italians have been abducted by Maoists. It happened
Saturday," Odisha Home Secretary U.N. Behera told reporters
Sunday.
Maoists, in an audio message sent to the local media in the wee
hours of Sunday, said the tourists were kidnapped at the border of
Ganjam and communally sensitive Kandhamal district. They demanded
that the government stop combing operations and fulfil their
demands.
India was quick to get in touch with Italy over the incident which
comes at a time when the ties between the two countries have come
under stress due to the impasse over the killing of two Indian
fishermen by two Italian marines off the Kerala coast over a month
ago.
"India informs Italy of efforts being made by Odisha government
for release of two kidnapped Italian nationals," Syed Akbaruddin,
spokesperson of the external affairs ministry, tweeted on the
microblogging site.
"MEA is in contact with Italy to facilitate assistance through
concerned Indian agencies in case involving 2 Italian tourists
kidnapped in Odisha."
Italian Consul Joel Melchiori also met Behra and voiced concern.
"We are concerned about abduction but hopeful of their release. We
will issue advisory to our nationals not to venture into such
dangerous areas."
Patnaik, who reviewed the situation with top police and
administrative officials, has appealed to the Maoists to release
the two Italians and hold a dialogue with the government.
Describing the abduction as unacceptable, Patnaik said the
tourists should be released on humanitarian grounds. Patnaik is
expected to hold another meeting of top officials later in the day
to deal with the situation.
A Maoist calling himself Sabyasachi Panda said in the audio
message, "We have imprisoned two Italian tourists." He said they
would be released only after the government stopped anti-rebel
operations and initiated dialogue with them.
"If the government wants to see them free, it should halt combing
operations. We also want the government to fulfil a charter of 13
demands it had promised last year," he said.
Kandhamal district collector Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said the
tourists were abducted from Daringbadi area of the district.
According to a local television channel report, both the tourists
were men and were picked up by the rebels while roaming inside the
forest, taking photographs of some tribal women.
Maoists are active in more than half of the state's 30 districts
and the district of Kandhamal is considered a stronghold.
|
Home |
Top of the Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top Stories |
Trinamool asks Trivedi to go, he wants
Mamata's written order
The Trinamool Congress Saturday asked Railway Minister Dinesh
Trivedi to resign from the post, but the latter has sought written
instructions from party chief Mamata Banerjee.
»
Angry
Mamata tells PM to replace Trivedi by Mukul Roy
Amid
bedlam, Govt. gets some relief, courtesy allies
|
|
Most Read |
Can Narendra Modi lead India, asks Time
magazine
Controversial Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi features on the
cover of Time magazine which wonders if he can ever become the
prime minister despite his development work in his home state.
»
|
UPA Politics: Games of brinkmanship and compulsions
The fact that Railway Minister
Dinesh Trivedi survived for more than 24 hours after Mamata
Banerjee sent a "communication" to the prime minister saying 'off
with his head' - like the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland -
suggested that the Congress had finally decided that it could not
succumb to her »
|
|
News Pick |
Give details on interrogators in Israeli car
blast: Court
A court
here Saturday asked Delhi Police's anti-terror unit, special cell,
to furnish names of investigators who questioned Israeli embassy
car blast accused Syed Mohammad Kazmi. Interrogators gave a report
denying his
»
|
Has anti-graft campaign learnt lessons, asks
Khurshid
Law and
Justice Minister Salman Khurshid Saturday said the government had
learnt its lessons after Anna Hazare's protest last year but
wondered
»
|
'Buddhist'
Cambodia mulls Islamic Finance to attract investment
Aspiring to a better standard of living, Cambodia’s
Muslims are dreaming of introducing the Islamic finance to the
Buddhist country
»
|
|
Picture of the Day |
 |
Union Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee giving final touches to the General
Budget 20112-13, in New Delhi on March 15, 2012. Minister of
State for Finance Namo Narain Meena and the Secretaries of the
Ministry are also seen. |
|
|
|