High Drama in Rajasthan: Women Climb Water Tank Protesting Against Account Freeze by Bank
After Odisha, a high drama was reported at Baran district in Rajasthan. A few women climbed up the water tank protesting against the account freeze by Bank.
The women were angry over the action taken by the Grameen bank in Baran. Women from a self-help group climbed a water tank inside the city’s court complex on Monday. The women were demanding that their bank accounts be reactivated and their loan records be cleared.
The women alleged that the management of Regional Rural Bank in Fatehpur had frozen their bank accounts, claiming that loan dues were still pending. However, the women said they had already repaid the loan amount. Because of the account freeze, they are unable to withdraw their pension money and daily wages.
The incident created panic among police and administrative officials. After nearly one and a half hours of high drama, the women finally came down from the water tank after officials convinced them and assured them that proper action would be taken.
The women said they were members of the “Janjagruti Mahila Self-Help Group,” which earlier worked in supplying nutritional supplements. Around 20 years ago, the group had taken a loan of ₹2 lakh from the bank.
After the group stopped operating, eight women from the group collected money among themselves and deposited ₹2.70 lakh in the bank around five years ago. Despite this, the women claimed that the bank froze their accounts nearly six months ago.
After receiving information about the protest, Tehsildar Dashrath Meena and Kotwali Circle Inspector Hiralal Punia reached the spot. The Tehsildar assured the women that he would collect details from the bank management and help resolve the matter.
This incident shows that people need proper financial education, and the government should focus seriously on improving financial literacy. Earlier, in Odisha, a man dug up the body of his sister and took it to a bank after the bank asked him to submit her death certificate.
The man wanted to withdraw money from his sister’s account and claimed that she had passed away. However, the bank asked for a death certificate to verify the claim. Instead of submitting the certificate, the man brought his sister’s body to the bank.
The incident was widely circulated across India and caused public outrage. However, if we look at the situation carefully, it also highlights the problem of low financial literacy.
Many people do not fully understand banking procedures and technical requirements. Both the government and bank management should work towards increasing financial awareness so that such incidents can be avoided in the future.
