Pearl scam victims to hold nationwide protest at Finance Ministry on November 26: Dr Paramjit Kotli

An emergency meeting of the “Insaf Di Awaaz” organisation was held at Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Sahib in Phagwara, under the chairmanship of the Assembly constituency president Dr Paramjit Singh Kotli. State committee member and Punjab General Secretary, Jodh Singh Thandi, was present as a special invitee.

During the meeting, members discussed intensifying their struggle for the recovery of the investments of citizens trapped in the Pearl Group and various other chit fund companies. Addressing the media after the meeting, Dr Kotli announced that following a call given by the national president of the organisation, Mahinder Pal Singh Dangarh, Pearl scam victims from across the country will stage a massive protest in front of the Ministry of Finance in New Delhi on November 26.

He stated that all members present in the meeting unanimously agreed to participate in the protest. Dr Kotli further recalled that Dharamvira Gandhi, Member of Parliament from Patiala, had raised the issue of the Pearl Group scam in Parliament last year, questioning Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding the return of the huge amounts owed to investors.

Kotli alleged, “However, the Finance Minister misled the House by claiming that the money is available, but no claimants have come forward, despite investor data being fully available online.”

He added that due to persistent pressure from investors over the years, the Central Government has only recently initiated partial refunds to small investors, but the pace of reimbursements remains extremely slow.

“Large investors have not received a single rupee so far, leading to growing anger and frustration. The government’s reluctance clearly shows that it is not serious about returning the hard-earned money of the people,” he said.

Dr Kotli appealed to all participating investors to carry photocopies of their Pearl policy bonds during the demonstration in Delhi.

Prominent members present at the meeting included Bimla Devi Chak Hakim, Dr. Kulwinder Jassal Bhakhriana, Satya Khati, Kulveer Singh Khaliyaan, Manjeet Kaur Manak, Harbhajan Lal Mukandpur, Ashok Kumar Rawalpindi, Jaswinder Kaur Virk, Manjeet Kaur Virk, Sukhdev Kumari, and Praseen Kaur Chak Prema.