Kathmandu, July 21:

Agitating Maoist victims today decided to opt for concerted protests to put pressure

on the government to meet their demands.

The Maoist victims have been staging a sit-in at the party office of the Nepali Congress (NC) since June 9.

Kalyan Budhathoki, president of the Maoist Victims’ Association, (MVA), said that they are forming committees in all 75 districts to put pressure on the local government to meet their demands. The committees will also be mobilised to organise the comprehensive programme.

He said that they are going to organise mass gatherings in Dang on July 26, in Nepalgunj on July 31 and a national-level gathering in Kathmandu on August 6.

“Issues raised by us have been constantly ignored. By organising a sit-in at the office of the NC, the most powerful party, we had hoped to draw the attention of the party towards our plight. We are disillusioned now and compelled to opt for massive protests,” he said.

“We were chased from the Tinkune camp and our sit-in at the NC office is being ignored, but we will show the government that we are not weak,” he added. According to him, fresh protest programmes will be announced on August 6.

Though the MVA had submitted a 15-point demand to the Prime Minister on February 27, the government has not yet responded.

Currently, around 100 victims are staging a 24-hour sit-in. “Braving rain, we are fighting for our rights. We don’t have enough food to eat,” said Bhoj Raj Timilsina, coordinator of the struggle committee. “Indifference shown by the government towards our plight shows that the government is not concerned about Maoist atrocities.”