Orissa drops charges against top Maoist’s wife as price for Collector’s freedom

They were arrested on November 21 last year from the Semiliguda forests of Orissa while travelling to meet Ramakrishna at Narayanpatna block of Koraput. Though Padma had joined the movement in her 20s,she had left her rebel ways several years ago and worked in an orphanage in Hyderabad.

Padma and Ramakrishna were separated after their son Prithvi joined the Maoist movement. But that day,she was on her way to meet her husband as he was ailing. Roja and Iswari were her associates while Kuldeepia was the driver of the jeep they were travelling in.

Mediators,who were part of the negotiation with the Orissa government for Vineel Krishna’s release,had made it clear that Padma had to be released at any cost. Mediators Prof G Haragopal,Prof R Somasekhar Rao and Dandapani Mohanty had made 14 demands. Police officials in Koraput said charges against Maoist leader Ganti Prasadam,currently lodged at Ongole sub-jail of Andhra Pradesh would be dropped once he is brought to Koraput. Prasadam is a key associate of Ramakrishna.

Meanwhile,CRPF and District Voluntary Force cops yesterday recovered a massive ammunition dump of Maoists at Raibiji forests of Rayagada district’s Chandrapur block. Deputy Inspector General (south-western range) of police,Soumendra Priyadarshi said 89 bullets of .303 rifle,64 bullets of 8 mm pistol,56 pipe hand grenades,119 ready-to-assemble hand grenades and 5 metres of explosive Codex wires were recovered from the dump. “Codex wires do not need explosive material except a detonator to trigger heavy blasts. The bullets seem to have been looted from Nayagarh armoury in 2008,” said Priyadarshi.