R Vineel Krishna

Bhubaneswar, May 27: Former Malkangiri Collector R Vineel Krishna, who had come into the limelight for being abducted by Maoists in February last, has proceeded on a long leave after being transferred from the district on April 29.

Though Krishna has been posted as the director of the SC and ST department, he is yet to take up the new assignment.

“Krishan is on a leave,” confirmed secretary, general administration, U.N. Behera.

In a related development, Union minister of forest and environment Jairam Ramesh has reportedly expressed his desire to take him in his personal staff for having done good work in the Malkangiri district.

Admitting that he is being considered for a deputation to the central government, Krishna told The Telegraph over phone, “The process is on.” However, Orissa chief secretary, Bijay Kumar Patnaik, said: “We have heard about it. (Krishna joining the ministry of environment and forests). There is no specific communication from the Centre on this issue.”

Officials close to Krishna said that the 32-year-old, belonging to the 2005 batch of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), was upset over his transfer to the state secretariat. “Krishna had thought that he would be rewarded for his developmental work in tribal dominated Malkangiri. He would have been allowed to complete at least two years in the district. He had worked as the collector for a little over one year.”

Krishna was abducted on February 16 while he was on his way to review developmental works in the cut-off areas of the district. Along with Krishna, junior engineer Pabitra Mohan Majhi was also kept captive.