THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Several depositors in Thiruvananthapuram District Unemployees Social Welfare Cooperative Society marched to former Minister and Congress leader VS Sivakumar's house at Sasthamangalam here in protest against non-payment of their deposits worth Rs 13 crores.
The protesters claimed that it was Sivakumar who canvassed them to deposit their earnings in the cooperative society. Apparently, it was Sivakumar who inaugurated the cooperative society in 2002.
At a time when the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam has rattled the CPM leadership, a Congress leader-led cooperative society in Thiruvananthapuram is also feeling the heat.
A few days ago the co-operative registrar had informed that out of 272 co-operative societies, 202 of them ruled by the UDF had come under the dock. After repeated false claims by the cooperative society on repayment of their deposit, the depositors belonging to Vellayani, Killipalam and Valiyathura decided to hold a protest.
There are 300 depositers and the society owes them Rs 13 crore. The depositors alleged that the cooperative society is managed by Sivakumar's benami.
Initially, Sivakumar came out of his house and spoke to the protesters. But when the number of protesters swelled, Sivakumar, locked the gate and went inside. A large posse of police personnel from Museum Police Station continued to stay put in front of Sivakumar's house.
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