Uproar in Orissa assembly over hostage crisis

Bhubaneswar, Feb 18 (IANS) Opposition members disrupted proceedings in the Orissa assembly Friday, accusing the government of doing nothing for the release of the Malkangiri district collector who continued to be in Maoist custody for the third successive day.

As soon as the session began, Congress members trooped near the speaker's podium shouting anti-government slogans.

Blaming Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's government for not taking concrete steps, some displayed posters and placards, one of which read: 'Collector abducted, who is now protected?'. It was a reference to R. Vineel Krishna, who was abducted along with a junior engineer by Maoists Wednesday.

A minor scuffle broke out when some ruling party members tried to prevent opposition members from climbing on to the speaker's podium. As the opposition continued to disrupt proceedings, speaker Pradip Amat adjourned the house for several hours.

The 48-hour deadline set by the Maoists to release the hostages lapses Friday.