A police constable who had been abducted by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district last week has been freed, according to officials on Saturday.
The constable, Shankar Kudiyam (28), was a member of the 'Bastar Fighters,' a newly formed unit of the state police. He had been missing for nearly a week, with Naxalites claiming responsibility for his abduction on September 29.
Late on Friday evening, Kudiyam was released in the presence of members of Sarva Adivasi Samaj, an umbrella organization representing tribal groups, along with his relatives.
After his release, Kudiyam spoke to a local journalist, confirming that he had indeed been kidnapped by the Naxalites.
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Kudiyam reportedly said, "After interrogating me, they decided to kill me. However, later they changed their mind after members of the samaj (tribal community) and my panchayat urged them to forgive me. Even I apologised to them. They freed me after eight days."
When asked whether he had been subjected to torture during his captivity, the constable firmly denied it and stated that the Naxals had treated him as if he were a friend.
On Thursday, a press release purportedly issued under the name of Anita Mandavi, secretary of the Maad Divisional Committee of CPI (Maoist), claimed responsibility for Kudiyam's abduction on September 29, mentioning that an interrogation was ongoing.
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It was revealed that the police had prior knowledge of his abduction, although they did not make it public, raising questions about their intentions, as per the statement.
Bijapur Superintendent of Police, Anjneya Varshney, explained in a statement that they became aware of Kudiyam's abduction only after the Naxalites released a statement. He also mentioned that the police had, on numerous occasions, employed a humanitarian approach to rescue and save the lives of Naxals who had been injured in firefight incidents.
Reportedly, the Sarva Adivasi Samaj had made an appeal to the Naxalites for Kudiyam's release.
