As Maoist rebels continued to hold police officer
Atindranath Dutta captive, the West Bengal government Wednesday said it was
ready to hold negotiations with them if they gave specific proposals as
pre-conditions for his release.
'If there are specific proposals, the government is ready to negotiate,' state
Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty told reporters at the state secretariat
Writers' Buildings here.
However, he made it clear that it was not possible for the government to accept
every demand of the Left-wing ultras 'in the larger interest'.
'Whatever demands we can meet, we will. And whatever steps are needed to get
him freed, we will take,' Chakraborty said.
The Maoists have also indicated that they are ready to
negotiate on this issue.
On Tuesday, around 50 Maoists riding motorcycles abducted Dutta, the
officer-in-charge of the Sankrail police station in West Midnapore district, at
gunpoint from his house and brought him to the police station.
Then the Maoists shot dead sub-inspector Dibakar Bhattacharya and assistant
sub-inspector Swapan Roy and looted 19 firearms from the police station before
whisking away Dutta to their hideout on a motorcycle.would assist the
courts.
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