Vijayawada: Thousands of AgriGold victims from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha and Maharashtra thronged the streets of Vijayawada on Wednesday, expressing outrage over the prolonged delay in resolving the decade-long AgriGold scandal.

Under the banner of the AgriGold Customers and Agents Welfare Association, victims marched from the Vijayawada railway station to Dharna Chowk in a massive ‘Avedana Yatra’, symbolising their collective anguish and frustration. Later, the association held a day-long protest led by its president E V Naidu.

Speaking at the protest, association honorary president Muppalla Nageswara Rao said relentless struggles over the past 12 years had pressured the government to extend partial relief, enabling payments of Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 to around 10.43 lakh small depositors.

However, he noted that more than 1,100 victims had died by suicide due to financial distress, while only 127 families received compensation without formal reports. “Over ten lakh major depositors are still waiting for justice. Until every depositor is compensated and the scam is fully addressed, our fight will continue,” he declared.

Association general secretary V Tirupathi Rao accused the company management of deliberately stalling the auction of nearly 14,000 acres seized by the government, filing court cases to obstruct the process.

“We will not allow these conspiracies to succeed,” he warned, urging victims to stay united despite pressures and misleading tactics from those supporting the management. He alleged that successive governments failed to deliver justice, despite repeated assurances. He emphasised the need for a fast-track court and demanded immediate government intervention.

Karnataka association president K Gurumurthy said AgriGold assets, valued at Rs 6,000 crore in 2015, have now risen to nearly Rs 30,000 crore, yet victims continue to be denied rightful compensation.

The association announced plans to mobilise 10,000 victims soon for a large-scale cooking protest if the government does not act swiftly, he said. He urged Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to prioritise the issue and convene a meeting with victims at the earliest. Association deputy general secretary B V Chandrasekhar, Telangana state vice president G Rajitha, secretary G Venkateswarlu, Odisha state secretary I Chandra Rao and others were present.