Chinese protesters demanding bank deposits tussle with security men

Several people protesting in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou over the freezing of deposits by some rural-based banks said they were injured on Sunday when heavy-handed security personnel dispersed the crowd.

The banks froze millions of dollars worth of deposits in April, telling customers they were upgrading their internal systems. read more The banks have not issued any communication on the matter since, depositors said.

None of the banks has responded to emails and telephone calls seeking comment. Chinese media has reported that the frozen deposits could be worth up to $1.5 billion and authorities are investigating the three banks.

About 1,000 people gathered outside the Zhengzhou branch of China's central bank on Sunday to demand action.

Videos and photographs on social media showed depositors waving banners and throwing plastic bottles at approaching security guards who then roughly dragged some of the protesters away.

"I feel so aggrieved I can't even explain it to you," one protester, surnamed Zhang, 40, told Reuters.

Zhang said he had been hoping to retrieve about 170,000 yuan ($25,000) deposited with one of the banks, the Zhecheng Huanghuai Community Bank.