Chandauli: On Tuesday, a group of account holders at the Union Bank branch in Kachman took a drastic step by locking the branch and staging a protest. Their anger stemmed from serious accusations against the branch manager, who they claimed had threatened them with physical harm, specifically by hitting them with shoes, as part of aggressive loan recovery tactics.
The situation quickly escalated, and despite efforts by local authorities, the account holders refused to back down until their demands were met. Varunendra Rai, the Chowki in-charge, along with the bank’s Assistant Regional Manager, Pankaj Singh, arrived on the scene and tried to calm the situation. However, the account holders remained firm, insisting that the branch manager be transferred immediately.
After about two hours of tense discussions, the Assistant Regional Manager presented a letter confirming the transfer of the branch manager. This assurance finally appeased the protestors, who then allowed the bank to reopen and resume its operations.
The protest caused significant disruption to the bank’s functioning that day, reflecting the depth of dissatisfaction among the customers. The Assistant Regional Manager assured the protestors that not only had the branch manager been transferred, but also that an investigation into the complaints lodged by the account holders was underway.
The protest saw participation from several account holders. Their collective action highlights the serious concerns over customer treatment and the expectations of respectful and professional behavior from bank officials.
This incident underscores the importance of addressing customer grievances promptly and maintaining a high standard of conduct in customer interactions to avoid such confrontations in the future.
Customer nahi chor hai wo log jo loan nhi chukate Hain
It is disconcerting to read. But such organised protest are mostly from people who avail the loan – but donot want to repay. A wrong culture is evolving – every borrower expecting a write-off and no case against him. The Branch Manager has to move out of the branch and speak to the right people who can bring social pressure on the erring persons. When this happens, the recovery efforts mostly will be fruitful. Speaking from personal experience, many of the borrowers could come up in their lives – not only repaid their borrowings, but brought in many new depositors to the Bank. The results are mostly depending on how we approach the issue.