The abduction of Malkangiri district collector RV Krishna and the government's decision to suspend anti-Maoist operations in the area has revived an important debate at an important juncture. At a time when the centre seems to have summoned some resolve to engage the Maoists in combat rather than just talks, is it okay for the state government to be seen to be giving in to the demands of the extremists? Arguments on both sides of the divide seem persuasive enough.

After all, you can argue that a tactical retreat on part of the forces to secure the release of the district collector is unlikely to harm the operations. On the other hand, though, it can be argued with equal conviction that giving in to the Maoists can only embolden them to repeat such, or perhaps even more audacious, abductions to secure their ever-growing demands. Hence the question: should the government be seen to be giving in to the Maoists?