Imphal, March 5: The elected representatives of local bodies in Imphal East today threatened to resign en masse in protest against attacks and assaults on pradhans and gram panchayat members by two armed groups a few days back.

The representatives, under the banner Imphal East Development Association, today held a demonstration at Panchayat Bhavan at Porompat to protest against the threats and assaults on their colleagues.

A spokesman for the association told journalists that an armed group called six pradhans and gram panchayat members to Thoubal district on March 3 and assaulted them for not meeting the extortion demand made by the group.

A day before this incident, another armed group fired at the residence of three pradhans for not meeting the demands made by the second group. However, no one was injured in the firing.

The association said various militant groups demanded certain portions of the development fund sanctioned to the gram panchayats. The demand ranges from two per cent to five per cent of the total funds allocated to the gram panchayats.

The association has 50 pradhans, an equal number of upa-pradhans and 406 members in two blocks of Imphal East district.

The representatives said they would continue the sit-in protest daily from 10am to 4pm at the Panchayat Bhavan till Friday.

“We demand the withdrawal of the extortion demands and threats to the elected representatives. If the armed groups fail to withdraw the demands and continue to issue threats, we will tender mass resignation to Governor S.S. Sidhu on Saturday,” the spokesman said.