Lucknow, Feb 7 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday felicitated the police which successfully handled the hostage drama in Katehria village in Farukkhabad last week.

He also felicitated the 23 children who had been taken hostage by Subhash Batham on January 30. Batham was shot dead after an 11-hour long drama while his wife Ruby was lynched by the crowd.

Local BJP MLA Nagendra Singh, who remained present during the hostage drama, recounted the incident and said that the accused demanded Rs 1 crore per child.

He said that it was the Chief Minister who guided him throughout the operation, saying that no harm should come to the children.

Rajni Kashyap, whose three children -- Khushi, Muskan and Aditya -- were among those held hostage, said that she pleaded with Batham to release the children but he refused. She thanked the Chief Minister and the police for averting a major tragedy.

Fifteen-year-old Anjali, the eldest among the children held hostage, had disconnected a wire with her teeth while they were holed up in the basement. The wire was connected to a gas cylinder with the intention of triggering a blast.

Speaking on the occasion, she said that she felt responsible for all other children and decided to disconnect the wire with her teeth.

The children were given school bags, toys and other gifts while the police team was awarded with certificates of appreciation.

Adityanath also gave gifts to the orphaned one-year-old daughter of the accused. The girl has now been adopted by IG Mohit Agarwal, who led the police team.