Raipur/ New Delhi Faced with the April 25 deadline set by the Maoists, the Chhattisgarh government has suspended the anti- Naxal operations in Bastar region in the wake of abduction of Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon. The state governmen
t has asked the security forces not to conduct any offensive against the Maoists in the Bastar region till he is freed by the extremists, official sources said.
The decision has been taken to ensure safety of the 32- year- old 2006 batch IAS officer, who was abducted by the Maoists on Saturday.
Efforts were underway to send medicines for Menon, who is an asthma patient. Menon is being held hostage at a Chhattisgarh- Odisha border area and is kept under watch by nearly 400 armed Naxals, the sources said adding Unmanned Aerial Vehicle undertook surveillance in the areas and reportedly took pictures of the location too. ‘The state government is exploring all options and making efforts to ensure safe release of Menon,’Chief Minister Raman Singh told reporters in Raipur.
In New Delhi, a high- level meeting chaired by Home Minister P Chidambaram took stock of the situation arising out of the hostage crisis. After the meeting, the Home Ministry sent an advisory to naxal- affected states asking them to take all precautionary security steps when politicians and administrative officials visit these areas.
