Collector's kidnap: Ganti, other Maoists seek bail

Five hardcore Maoists, whose release was sought for the release of the abducted Malkangiri district collector and an engineer, on Monday moved the Orissa high court for bail after their plea for the same had been rejected by a lower court.

One of the five was Ganti Prasadam, who has about 100 cases in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa against him. Maoist-chosen mediator Prof G Hargopal said releasing leaders like Ganti Prasadam could play a significant role in negotiations with Maoists for the release of collector R V Krishna and engineer Pabitra Majhi who were abducted from Chitrakonda area in Malkangiri district on February 16.

A request was made to the high court to take up the matter immediately as their release on bail had a bearing on the ongoing dialogue between the state government and mediators named by Maoists at Bhubaneswar to facilitate safe release of Krishna and Majhi. The bail petitions, however, have not been taken up yet by the high court. It is also not known when they would be taken up, advocate of the petitioners P K Jena said.

The five, who have filed their bail petition, are Andalui Eswari, Rosa Mandagi alias Kuni, Kenula Sirisa alias Padma, Gokul Kuldipia and Ganti Prasad Rao alias Prasadam. Padma is the wife of a senior Maoist leader. While the first four were arrested at Similiguda in Koraput on November 13, 2010, on their way to Narayanpatna in Koraput, Ganti Prasadam was rounded up by the Orissa police from Andhra Pradesh on November 21. They were booked under various sections of the IPC, including waging war against the country.

Meanwhile, the bail petition of another Maoist leader, Sriramlu Srinivasalu, was heard by the fast track court in Malkangi on Monday. Additional district judge of the fast track court P K Karna posted the judgment to be pronounced on Tuesday.

The Maoists were demanding Srinivasalu's release also. The Maoist leader, who was arrested in July 2007 from Kalimela area, had filed his bail application before the fast track court on February 19. The judge then posted the hearing for Monday.

A former chief of the Revolutionary Writers Association, he had been lodged in Malkangiri jail except for a few months when he was taken to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in connection with some cases against him there. Srinivasulu has been acquitted in four cases by Malkangiri court, while hearing in another case was going on.