Bhubaneswar, March 24: Maoists today kidnapped a BJD MLA in the early hours of the morning, the second such incident in less than two weeks.

The incident led to immediate suspension of the negotiations between the state government and the Maoist-chosen mediators for release of the two Italians taken hostage by the rebels on March 14.

A group of 80 gun-toting rebels from Toyaput area abducted Jhina Hikaka, 35, a first-term MLA from Laxmipur in tribal-dominated Koraput district, between 12.30am and 1am while he was returning home from Semiliguda.

The rebels, who are suspected to be the members of Srikakulam-Koraput divisional committee of the CPI (Maoist) that had called a Bharat bandh today demanding suspension of Operation Greenhunt, asked for the MLA’s name and the purpose of his visit to Semiliguda before taking him away.

“Around 80 armed men stopped our vehicle near Toyaput where the road had been dug up. They took away the MLA after he told them his name, leaving behind me and his personal security officer,” said Ugrasen, the legislator’s driver.

Laxmipur is part of Koraput, where the Maoists have been active for over a decade. The MLA had gone to Semiliguda to attend a party meeting in connection with the election of Koraput zila parishad vice-president. He was travelling in his Bolero. The MLA’s car was stopped at Toyaput, about 4km from Laxmipur, where the road had been dug up by the Maoists who had also stationed a truck at the spot to obstruct the movement of passing vehicles.

The legislator’s security officer Gokul Kandhpan could do little as the Maoists, who spoke in Telugu and tribal dialect Kui, far outnumbered them.

Koraput BJD district unit president and MP Jairam Pangi said the meeting at Semiliguda had started at 10pm and lasted for nearly an hour. “I asked him not to return home at that hour and spend the night in Semiliguda with other MLAs, so that all of them could attend the ceremony to flag off the Koraput-Vishakhapatnam Intercity Express from Koraput today. But, he did not listen to me and left for Laxmipur.” The distance between Semiliguda and Laxmipur is around 55km.

Intelligence sources said the incident reflected the growing differences between the CPI(Maoist) Odisha state organising committee secretary Sabyasachi Panda, who had kidnapped the two Italians from Kandhamal on March 14, and the rebel leaders active in the Odisha areas bordering Andhra Pradesh.

The kidnapping of the MLA comes in the wake of the killing of a police officer, Krushna Chandra Rath, by the Maoists in Malkangiri on Thursday which was a clear violation of the unilateral ceasefire declared by Panda a few days ago to facilitate the process of talks for the release of the Italian hostages.

“Kidnapping of the MLA and killing of the police officer have made a mockery of the ceasefire. This is a clear attempt by the rivals of Panda, mainly leaders of the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh zonal committee of the Maoists, to embarrass him,” said an Intelligence Bureau officer.

Daya, who is close to the rebel leaders based in Andhra Pradesh, heads the CPI(Maoist) Srikakulam-Koraput divisional committee.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who spoke to the Union home minister P. Chidambaram about the kidnapping of Hikaka, sent two senior ministers, Surya Narayan Patro and Lal Behari Himirika, to Laxmipur by helicopter to take stock of the situation and make efforts for the MLA’s release.

Naveen also spoke to Hikaka’s wife, Kaushalya, assuring her of all government help. Kaushalya, who last spoke to the MLA around 11.15pm yesterday, appealed to the Maoists to release her husband as he had always worked for the welfare of the tribals of the area.

Hikaka, who won the 2009 Assembly election from Laxmipur on the BJD ticket, had defeated Congress’s Hema Gamang, wife of former chief minister Giridhar Gamang.

This is the second time that the rebels have targeted a ruling party MLA. Last year, they had gunned down Jagbandhu Majhi, the wheel chair-bound BJD MLA from Umerkote, while he was distributing land papers at a meeting in his constituency. The murder of Majhi is still being probed.

The kidnapping of Hikaka found an echo in the Assembly with Opposition members causing a ruckus forcing Speaker Pradeep Amat to adjourn the House till Monday. However, the Opposition members refused to budge with Congress MLA Bhupinder Singh saying that they would continue to sit in the House till it reopened on Monday.