President’s help sought to free kidnapped Maharashtra official
By IANSMonday, June 7, 2010
NAGPUR - The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) has urged President Pratibha Patil to take up the issue of release of a Maharashtra forest officer kidnapped in Arunachal Pradesh May 13, the NGO’s chief said Monday.
“We urge Pratibha ‘tai’ to take up the issue with the central government and the government of Arunachal Pradesh so that the release of abducted forest officer Vilas Bardekar can be expedited,” VJAS president Kishor Tiwari said.
Bardekar, the joint director (social forestry), was allegedly kidnapped by suspected National Democratic Front of Bodoland militants from the Eagles Nest sanctuary in Daimara along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
He was on a holiday to research on
rare species of butterflies found in the region.
“Former state forest minister Patangrao Kadam had said the Arunachal Pradesh authorities are holding negotiations with the militants. They also confirmed that the Pune-based Bardekar is safe. But no progress is seen in the process of releasing Bardekar,” Tiwari said in his letter to Patil.
