Leader of the Opposition of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Shri. Naveen Patnaik has written a letter to Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, strongly condemning the horrific incident that took place in Odisha Grameen Bank.
He said – I am deeply anguished to highlight a shocking incident that took place on April 27th in the Malliposi branch of the Odisha Gramya Bank in Keonjhar district.
A tribal citizen, Mr. Jitu Munda was forced to exhume the skeletal remains of his sister and carry it to the bank as proof of her death in order to withdraw his rightful dues. This was after numerous unsuccessful visits to the bank where he failed to get assistance or clarity from the officials.
What is more shocking is the bank’s attempt to justify this inhuman conduct by citing adherence to RBI guidelines. This shows a disturbing intent on the part of the bank officials to hide behind procedures and abandon the very people they are meant to serve. I need not reiterate that in a democracy rules are meant to empower citizens, not humiliate them.
This horrifying incident has outraged public sentiment across Odisha and has also drawn attention in international media, like the New York Post and the BBC.
Naveen Patnaik said that the fault is with the bank employees, who could not properly explain the details to the tribal man.
