Hundreds of depositors of defunct fund mobilising firms marched in Malda on Thursday raising slogans against the National Register of Citizens and Citizenship (Amendment) Act, besides demanding return of lost money.

They demonstrated near the administrative and police headquarters for a couple of hours, alleging the central and the state governments had done nothing for millions of chit fund victims.

Such marches by the depositors are not new but what was unique was the slogans and festoons used by them against the NRC and the CAA. “When Narendra Modi had come to Bengal for the 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign, he had promised to punish chit fund culprits within 120 days. We trusted him. Now, the PM and his party are busy explaining the NRC and the CAA. We want an explanation from him for his empty promises,” said Ruksena Bewa, a bidi worker who claims to have lost Rs 2.40 lakh.

The participants in the rally also lambasted the state government.

“The state had constituted a special investigation team (SIT) and a commission. But now, we understand those were all measures to alleviate our concerns temporarily. The SIT had probed first. Later, the CBI investigated and it has not yielded any result. The issue has eventually turned into a dice to gain political advantages,” said Goutam Chowdhury, a migrant worker, who had invested around Rs 6.25 lakh but did not get a penny back.

They depositors claimed that the NRC and the CAA were nothing but an attempt to keep the nation’s attention diverted from basic problems of the citizens.

“We have no interest in the NRC and the CAA. We want our lost money back and exemplary punishment of all those who lured and looted us. Our primary concern is not citizenship because we know we all are bona fide citizens. Instead of coining newer terms, the central and the state governments should ensure justice for us,” said Anupam Ghosh, another joiner at the rally.