The on- going hostage crisis in Odisha is not Odishas problem alone. It is Indias problem.
Therefore, it calls for a united approach to resolve it. But the Centre has behaved as if Odisha is a foreign country and need not be assisted in en
ding the month- long crisis. Quite clearly, the Naveen Patnaik Government is up against a very difficult dilemma. It can surrender before the Maoists to free the captured ruling party legislator, Jhina Hikaka. But that would boost the morale of the Maoists and demoralize the State constabulary.
So that is an option which should be exercised with utmost caution. However, a plain refusal to negotiate with the Maoists is also not an option. Without negotiations the lives of the hostages would be in jeopardy. So what does the State Government do? Every time well- meaning intermediaries settle the terms for release of hostages, the Maoists up the ante, seeking the release from prisons yet more of their comrades. There could be no better way to undermine the authority of the organized State in the eyes of the people. Small wonder then Patnaik feels trapped. Whatever he does to end the crisis, it will attract sharp criticism.
As it is, the media reports that he had agreed to free 27 Maoists from various prisons in exchange of the hostages had elicited a strong reaction from the police and the anti- Naxal squads. The latter had threatened to abandon the anti- Naxal campaign.
Among those whom the Maoists wanted freed was a notorious outlaw who had reportedly killed more than 50 policemen.
The confusion in dealing with such crises stems from a complete lack of a broad policy. An ad hoc approach has informed all previous hostage crises whether it was to do with the Naxals or the terrorists.
A wrong example was set when then Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeeds daughter, Rubaiya Sayeed, was abducted by the Kashmiri militants. A number of hard- core terrorists were released to free Rubaiya Saeed from her captors.
That encouraged all brands of insurrectionists to resort to abductions and then dictate terms to the authorities. Since then the questionable captureby- Maoists and surrender- by- State pattern has been well set. So, the right thing under these circumstances would have been for the Centre to take the lead and lay down clear guidelines to deal with such hostage crises. Even if the Union Home Ministry had waxed eloquent a couple of years ago against negotiations with Maoists/ terrorists in such situations, the fact is that it had not followed its own prescription. So where does poor Patnaik go for assistance? Because precious lives are involved, one cannot even press for a tough line to end the hostage crisis. One can only hope that after the present stalemate is resolved, the Centre would take the lead in evolving a uniform policy to deal with such hostage crises. Partisanship should be kept out while dealing with the growing menace of the Maoists/ terrorists.
