-The Telegraph West Bengal: An agent of the Saradha Group fell ill in Siliguri today after a three-hour demonstration while investors hit the streets with placards asking the chief minister to give them back their money or provide them with poison. Dinabandhu Pal, who had collected Rs 16 lakh for the Saradha Group, was admitted to Siliguri subdivisional hospital after he complained of palpitation in front of Siliguri police station. His wife...

-The Telegraph Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government is scrambling to stitch together a cogent response to the default crisis that is escalating by the hour. The ruling establishment's agony has been compounded by the close ties several of its ministers, MPs and MLAs had nurtured with the collapsed Saradha Group. Within Trinamul and the government, questions are being asked about what senior leaders and ministers were doing while the crisis was building up...

-The Hindu Business Line Kolkata: Everyone knew that the bomb was ticking. But, there was not much action to curb the mushrooming ponzi schemes that were collecting thousands of crores from hapless investors across West Bengal since 2007-08. Some promised to grow money by 34 times in 25 years by investing in teak bonds. Others offered to double money in 15 months by investing in the potato trade. As a result, investments...

-The Telegraph Calcutta: From Mamata Banerjee's backyard in Harish Chatterjee Street to Contai in East Midnapore, a contagion of protests is spreading in several parts of Bengal. Funds collection agents of the Saradha Group are besieging the seats of power with appeals to step in and avert a run on the chit fund-fuelled company since the Trinamul government was seen as the undeclared gilt-edged guarantor during the good times. Trinamul lent credence to...

-The Times of India KOLKATA: Bengal is sitting on a powder keg. And the fuse could well have been lit on Friday as a 33-year-old agent of Saradha Group, a chit fund company that has gone bust, committed suicide being unable to pay his depositors while over 3,000 agents laid siege to chief minister Mamata Banerjee's residence in protest against the lockdown. The turn of events has triggered fears of a repeat...