Bihar government to initiate dialogue with Maoists

PATNA - The Bihar government will hold talks with the Maoists on their demand for release of their eight jailed commanders in exchange for the three abducted policemen, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced after an all-party meeting here Saturday.

All the political parties appealed to the Maoists to release the three abducted policemen, he said.

“The state government is ready for talks and all political parties appealed to the Maoists to release the three abducted policemen,” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told reporters after the meeting.

Kumar said that Maoists should come forward for a face-to-face talk with the state government on the issue.

“I assured Maoists that I will provide full security to them if they come forward for talks. No police action will be taken against them,” he said.

The representatives of the ruling Janata Dal (United), its ally Bharatiya Janata Party, opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, Lok Janshakti Party, Congress, Left parties and the Nationalist Congress Party attended the all-party meeting to discuss the issue.

The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had appealed to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to call an all-party meeting to discuss the situation after the Maoists killed Lucas Tete, one of the four policemen kidnapped after a six-hour gunfight in Lakhisarai district Sunday.

Police found the bullet-riddled body of Lucas Tete Friday near a forest in Lakhisarai district.

The rebels Saturday said that the other three policemen they had abducted were safe.

The gunbattle left seven policemen dead and 10 injured. The Maoists claimed the gunfight was in retaliation to the killing of their leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad and a journalist on the night of July 1-2 in Andhra Pradesh.