Chhattisgarh CM denies any secret deal with Maoists for release of Sukma collector

Raipur, May 4 (ANI): Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Friday denied any backroom dealing with the Maoists in securing the release of abducted Sukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon.

"The provisions that we have clearly mentioned in the agreement, we will abide by that. That agreement is not any secret document. We have posted it on our website as well. It is a public document. We have not made any changes," Singh told media here.

Singh said that this was a good beginning and it has brought cheer to Menon's family as well as to the entire nation.

"Today, this is a good beginning, and this is after the release of Alex Paul Menon and now the Sukma collector is back. This is an important and cheerful moment for his family as well as the nation," he added.

He informed that the Standing Committee would review the cases all tribal undertrials and Naxalites, and expressed the hope that peace would now prevail in the state.

"As I had earlier said that we will take the next step soon after the release. A new committee will be constituted, which I had promised earlier also; we have now constituted a Standing Committee. The high power standing committee will review the cases all tribal undertrials and Naxalites," he said.

Meanwhile, Menon who was released by Maoists on Thursday after almost two weeks in captivity, has reached his home in Sukma. Menon was brought to Sukma in a helicopter from Chintalnar.

The Maoists had kidnapped Menon after killing two of his bodyguards on April 21, while he was meeting with villagers of Majhipara village in the Keralapal area of the Naxal-infected district.

The Naxals had demanded the release of eight colleagues: Markam Gopanna alias Satyam Reddy, Nirmal Akka alias Vijay Laxmi, Devpal Chandrashekhar Reddy, Shantipriya Reddy, Meena Choudhari, Korsa Sunny, Markam Sunny and Asit Kumar Sen.

The ultras also wanted anti-Naxal Operation Green Hunt to be cancelled, security forces to be withdrawn from the region and persons against whom they allege "fake cases" have been registered, released from the jails. (ANI)