Mediators counsel restraint

BHUBANESWAR: The mediators in the then Malkangiri collector R Vineel Krishna’s abduction case have asked both the State Government and the Maoists to observe restraint and implement the 14-point agreement reached between the two for the release of the IAS officer.In a statement released here on Sunday, two mediators Prof Hargopal and Dandapani Mohanty said they were sad about the killings by Maoists in recent days. “We the mediators feel sad and upset that a home guard, a constable and three tribals have been killed in Maoist violence,” they said.‘’We appeal to the Maoists to attach utmost importance to human life and desist from such actions,’’ the mediators said.Stating that the loss of human lives should have been avoided particularly at a stage when the implementation of the 14-point agreement is in progress, the mediators said the killings had vitiated the atmosphere.The mediators said they had been pressurising the government for the release of tribals who are languishing in the Orissa jails. ‘’Although there was undue delay on the part of the government, still we are hopeful that the tribals will be released,’’ they said.They also regretted that the State Government did not act promptly on the agreement and violated the agreement by carrying on combing operations and killing of Maoists. If the State Government had acted promptly and observed restraint, there would have been greater peace, they said and appealed to it not to backtrack on the agreement which would further aggravate the situation.The mediators appealed to both the State Government and the Maoists to prevent loss of human life and take all the measures to enforce the spirit of the agreement. They said the possibilities of holding peace talks will have to be explored where the basic problems of the tribals are addressed.