Shyamal Sen panel’s term to expire today, duped investors demonstrate

SNS, Kolkata 22 October: Hundreds of chit fund depositors, including those of the Saradha group, today vented their ire at the state government's silence on the fate of the Justice Shyamal Sen Commission that is examining the claims of about 1.8 million depositors for refund. Its term expires tomorrow and sources said the state government had no intention to extend it. 

Around 1.4 million of lakh depositors are yet to receive refund, while the Commission has issued cheques to the tune of Rs 251.22 crores among 4.98 lakh depositors. 

At present, the Rs 286.5 crores given to the commission by the state government is almost exhausted while Rs 2.48 crore the commission got from debtors of Saradha chief Sudipta Sen is still there. 

The total number of non-Saradha depositors is around 5 lakh and the Commission is yet to disburse cheques to them. 

The members of the Commission are in a quandary after the government failed to send any notice stating clearly that the tenure of the Commission has been ended. Around 33 members of the Commission still do not know about what they will do from tomorrow onwards. 

“If the state government does not extend the tenure of the commission then we will have to report to the home secretary. 

Lets see what happen,” a member of the commission added. 

Hundreds of chitfund depositors today held a demonstration at Rani Rashmoni Avenue expressing anxiety over the expiry of the commission’s term and demanded immediate return of their money ‘as promised’. 

Speaking at the rally, CPI(M) leader Mr Sujon Chakraborty alleged that the state government's assurance to refund the depositors' money with the appointment of the Shymal Commission had been ‘a gimmick’.