Silchar, Jan. 15: Negotiators trying to secure the release of three persons taken hostage by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) in south Assam nine days ago have convinced the outfit to scale down its demand for Rs 10 lakh by half.
Sources said a seven-member team from Jirighat town, located on the Cachar-Manipur border, negotiated with representatives of the NSCN (K) for four hours yesterday.
A 22-member group went to a hideout of the militant group on Saturday to bring back the hostages, but returned empty-handed. The three captives ? Sudhir Sarkar, 86, Aloke Dhar, 25, and Rabindra Das, 40 ? are believed to be in Tamenglong district of Manipur.
The second team that negotiated with the NSCN (K) included four Rongmei Naga leaders. The rebels reportedly insisted on meeting Sarkar?s son Subir, who is the president of Digli Bahadurpur panchayat, and his elder brother at one of their camps in Manipur before finalising a deal.
The residents? committee of Jirighat block, which has been staging demonstrations regularly in protest against the administration?s failure to rescue the hostages, suspended their agitation for two days because of Magh Bihu and Makar Sankranti.
About 5,000 people thronged the Lakhipur sub-divisional office, raising slogans against the administration.