Bhubaneswar, July 5: Orissa government today withdrew cases against elusive Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) leader Nachika Linga and 50 of his followers in keeping with its commitment to the Maoist-chosen interlocutors who had negotiated the release of former Malkangiri collector R. Vineel Krishna from rebel captivity in February.

Sources said three of the 20 cases against Linga, who continues to be on the run, were withdrawn in the court of the judicial magistrate first class, Laxmipur. The leader, who has been waging a war against the non-tribal landlords of Narayanpatna in Koraput district with the support of Maoists, still has cases against him in Bandhugaon and Semiliguda police station areas.

Withdrawal of cases against CMAS leaders, mostly tribals, was one of the major demands of the Maoists which was made part of the 14-point agreement between the government and the three interlocutors picked by the rebels to negotiate the release of Krishna.

The delay in the withdrawal of these cases had led to protest demonstrations by Maoists and the CMAS, which enjoys a huge following among the tribals of Narayanpatna. The interlocutors, one of whom died recently, had also sought to put pressure on the government for early action in this regard.

Recently, charges were also dropped charges against top-ranking Maoist leader, Ganti Prasad, who was set free after the case against him in Koraput’s Semiliguda police station was withdrawn following a petition by the government. Earlier, four other senior rebel leaders were similarly released from state jails as part of the February agreement between the government and the interlocutors.

However, the interlocutors, who had held protracted negotiations with top ranking government officials in February, had laid equal emphasis on withdrawal of cases against CMAS activists and the release of innocent tribals languishing in different jails of the state on the charge of supporting the Maoists. The interlocutors had maintained that more than 600 tribals were lodged in jails across the state with no one ready to look into their cases with any seriousness.

The government, however, continued to stall the issue arguing that each case had to be decided on its merit and hence such matters could not be rushed. However, things started moving after two of the interlocutors, along with Maoist ideologue Varvara Rao, had a meeting with chief minister Naveen Patnaik here on May 24.

Sources said that the process of government honouring its commitment to the interlocutors would be accelerated further as instructions had already been issued to concerned district collectors to look into cases where tribals were taken prisoners on flimsy grounds. More than 300 such cases are believed to exist in Sundergarh and Koraput districts alone.