MNS Workers Protest at Union Bank Branch in Nagpur for not accepting documents in Marathi

Hellobanker Team

3 days ago

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On Wednesday, workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) held a protest at the Union Bank of India’s Friends Colony branch in Nagpur. The protest was due to a demand for a copy of a complaint related to an accident insurance claim in Hindi and English, rather than Marathi.

The case involves Yogesh Bopche, who had died in a road accident. His family was trying to claim accident insurance linked to his Union Bank account. The insurance was provided by a General Insurance Company headquartered in Kolkata. According to the bank officials, the insurance company does not accept documents in Marathi, including FIRs, and insists on English or Hindi documents for processing claims.

The bank explained that to process the insurance claim, a Hindi-translated and notarized FIR copy must be attached along with the application.

Upset by the rejection of the Marathi FIR, around 50 MNS workers gathered outside the bank. They shouted slogans, demanded action, and when their request wasn’t immediately accepted, they blackened the name board of the bank, creating a brief period of tension in the area. The police intervened and detained the protesting workers to bring the situation under control.

Bank’s Response and Clarification

After the protest, Union Bank apologized to the MNS workers and Bopche’s family, which led to the protest being called off. The bank later clarified its position by stating that:

Marathi is fully accepted for local banking transactions.
Marathi FIRs are valid for ATM frauds or other criminal complaints related to bank transactions.
However, in this case, the insurance company is based in Kolkata and has its own documentation policy that accepts only FIRs in English or Hindi.
Therefore, the bank required a notarized Hindi translation of the FIR so the insurance claim could be processed properly.

Ongoing Language Debate in Maharashtra

This incident is part of a bigger issue related to language in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has been strongly raising their voice about such matters. They want government departments, and banks to use and respect the Marathi language more in official work.

In the past too, MNS has held several protests where people were unhappy because Marathi was not used or accepted properly, especially in offices or services run by the central government. These protests show that many people feel Marathi should be treated equally and used in all important work within the state. But a Big Question still remains unanswered – Is this possible in All India Services?