Maoists released Orissa MLA Jhina Hikaka from Captive

Maoists released Orissa MLA Jhina Hikaka on 26 April 2012, after keeping him in captivity for more than 30 days. Hikaka, who was abducted by the Maoists in the wee hours of 24 March 2012 was handed over to lawyer Nihar Ranjan Patnaik at Balipeta village in Narayanpatna forests.

The decision about the release of the legislator was taken in a praja (people's) court. The MLA was released after the state government conceded to the Maoists’ demand to liberate more than two dozen Maoist cadres and sympathisers. Hikaka was abducted by the Andhra Orissa Border Special Zonal Committee of CPI(Maoist).

The Maoists had also abducted two Italian tourists Paolo Bosusco and Claudio Colangelo who were released subsequently by them following a talk between the Maoist leaders and the government appointed interlocutors. Colangelo was released on 25 March 2012 while Bosusco was freed on 12 April 2012.

The Maoists, given their widespread presence in the country and powerful network has been described by the government as the country's biggest security threat.

The Maoist extremists claim to fight for the rights of oppressed tribal people and the rural poor. The rebels, who borrow their ideology from Marx, Lenin and Mao, are very often referred to as Naxalites as the Naxalbari resurgence conducted by radical Maoists in Naxalbari of West Bengal in 1967 actually sown the seed of violent class struggle in the country. Since its beginning dated back to late sixties of twentieth century the Maoists have witnessed a serious corrosion in their ideological stand. The movement which had once started as a sacred battle of oppressed and poor against the atrocities of landlords and other powerfuls has now been confined to the opposition of democratic set up of the country as the rebels openly vow to overthrow the elected government of the state.