Kavre, January 27:

Responding to a 10-day ultimatum given by the Maoists to either quit or face consequences, 39 VDC secretaries of Kavre resigned from their posts today.

The Maoists of Kavre district, issuing a press release on January 18, had warned all the DDC and VDC officials to resign within 10 days or face consequences. Making a decision to this effect at a meeting in Dhulikhel today, they also forwarded a resignation letter to the Local Development Ministry.

Citing the Maoist-issued release, the VDC secretaries said: “We resigned because the Maoists had warned us of untoward incidents if we did not resign.”

The VDC secretaries have also appealed to rights activists and scribes to call the Maoists to withdraw the threat.

They have formed a seven-member panel headed by secretary of Deupur Nayagaun, Yadav Prasad Sapkota, to press the Maoists to withdraw the threat. “We decided to resign en masse because nothing is precious than live,” Sapkota said. The DDC chairman, Yaduman Shah, has sought clarification from some of the VDC secretaries.