By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : The Odisha assembly Thursday appealed to the Maoists to release the two Italians the rebels had kidnapped March 14.
The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, was immediately passed by voice vote.
“This house expresses deep concern on the issue of abduction of two Italian nationals,” said the resolution.
“The house unanimously appeals for the safe release of the two foreign nationals. The house also shares the agony and anxiety of family members of the two Italian nationals,” it added.
The Italians — Bosusco Paolo, 54, and Claudio Colangelo, 61 — were abducted from the border of Ganjam and communally sensitive Kandhamal district.
The rebels want the government to fulfil a charter of 13 demands including a ban on tourist visits to tribal areas, halt to anti-Maoist operations, and release of several prisoners.
Meanwhile, the government’s efforts to secure the kidnapped Italians’ release intensified Thursday with the arrival of tribal expert and former Indian Administrative Officer B.D. Sharma here.
Sharma and a local social activist Dandapani Mohanty are expected to play the role of mediators between the rebels and the government.