People defrauded by various savings cooperatives staged a demonstration in Pokhara on Monday demanding action against those involved in embezzling public deposits. The protesters said they were compelled to hit the streets as the government did not take any concrete initiative to resolve the problems of cooperatives victims.

The depositors united under the banner of the Cooperative Depositors Victims Struggle Committee marched from the Kaski District Police Office in Gairapatan to Kaski District Administration Office, passing through the Pokhara Metropolitan City Office and New Road.

The victims marched carrying placards and banners with various slogans demanding action against cooperative operators who have failed to return money to depositors, and those on the run.

The protesters chanted slogans against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane accusing him of protecting GB Rai, a prime accused in cooperatives frauds. “Rabi dai knows well where GB Rai is,” a placard read. They accused Lamichhane of protecting Rai and being reluctant in resolving the issues of the victims of cooperatives scam.

Depositors of six cooperatives of Kaski, whose operators have been chargesheeted in a fraud case filed at the district court, joined the protest march. The depositors of other cooperatives also participated in the demonstrations. Many nursing mothers carrying their babies and senior citizens were among those participating in the march, demanding return of their deposits and action against the guilty.

The depositors of Surya Darshan, Image, Mitra Milan, Balidani, Shiva Shikhar and Bindhybasini saving and cooperatives have formed the Cooperatives Depositors Victims Struggle Committee and started launching a pressure programme.

Rai, who is on the run, has been accused of illegally transferring the deposits of thousands of people from various cooperatives to invest in his Gorkha Media Network. Home Minister Lamichhane, who is also the chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, served as the managing director of the media company before joining politics.

The protesters submitted memorandums to the Kaski District Police Office, the Pokhara Metropolitan City and the Kaski District Administration Office with their demands.

After going around Pokhara city, the protest march culminated into a corner meeting. Addressing the gathering, chairman of the struggle committee Kiran Shrestha said that Lamichhane had promised to return the victims’ deposits even from state coffers.

A 10-member delegation of the cooperatives’ victims from Pokhara had met with Minister Lamichhane at his ministry in Kathmandu on April 9.

“During the visit Lamichhane reiterated that he was not involved in the cooperative funds misuse, stating that he just worked at Galaxy TV. He assured that preparations were on to release Rs 1-2 billion from the state’s treasury and to return the deposits of genuine victims,” said Shrestha. According to him, Lamichhane had also expressed his commitment to nab GB Rai within three to four weeks.

Shrestha claimed that the police investigation into the cooperative frauds had been hindered since Lamichhane was appointed the home minister. “The regulatory bodies and police administration are unwilling to provide justice to the victims due to the influence of the ruling political parties,” he said.