SBI Chief Manager Raises Allegations of Harassment, Intimidation and Misuse of Authority

A Chief Manager of the State Bank of India (SBI), Gopikrishna B, has raised serious allegations of harassment, intimidation, humiliation and unfair treatment by senior officials in an email addressed to the bank’s authorities. In his communication, he requested intervention from the HR department and the Regional Manager and sought a transfer from the Administrative Office on humanitarian grounds.

In the email, Gopikrishna stated that he had apologised to the Regional Manager and another senior official on October 26, 2026, if he had spoken harshly to them. However, he alleged that despite his apology, he continued to face pressure and unfair treatment. He also complained that his repeated attempts to contact the concerned officials were not answered, making it difficult for him to obtain clarification about oral instructions given in the morning.

The Chief Manager said that he had joined the branch only after receiving assurances from the Regional Manager and CM Compliance that he would receive support and would not face retaliation for taking leave or questioning certain matters on October 26, 2026. However, he alleged that these assurances were not honoured.

He said that he had missed only four calls on a particular day. He had attended three other calls before and after that period on the same day. Despite this, he was reportedly called to the Regional Business Office (RBO), which was around two hours away from his location. He questioned why such action was taken merely because he could not attend calls for approximately two hours.

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In his email, Gopikrishna also described the difficulties he allegedly faced while being called to the RBO. He stated that he was sometimes asked to report after receiving messages late in the evening, even after 9 PM, and was expected to reach the office before 10 AM despite the journey taking around two hours. He further alleged that on reaching the office, he had to wait for approximately one and a half hours without breakfast to meet the Regional Manager.

He claimed that during these meetings, he was shouted at and told that he was unable to manage the branch. He also stated that he was asked to return to the branch immediately and resume his work. According to him, such incidents had happened more than three times and had caused considerable mental stress and fear.

The Chief Manager further alleged that he was being threatened with the filing of an FIR and false accusations by an official named Sri Subba Rao. He said that the working environment had become intimidating and that he was scared to continue working under such circumstances.

In another serious allegation, Gopikrishna claimed that an official had initially demanded 5% for passing a bill and later pressured him for an amount of Rs. 20,000, following which the matter was kept pending. He stated that he had not disclosed this matter to anyone earlier because he understood the other person’s financial circumstances. However, he requested the authorities to consider his own financial situation, as he did not have the required funds at that time. These are allegations made in his email and have not been independently verified.

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The email also raised questions about the implementation of bank policies during his tenure as Manager HR. He asked the authorities to examine previous emails relating to alleged violations of bank policies, apart from his CDS-related communication.

He also questioned the decision to assign a CBO as an accountant in a Scale II branch at Manjor Nagar. According to him, this defeated the purpose of recruiting CBOs, particularly when compliance with RFIA and HIS duties had not been completed.

Apart from these issues, Gopikrishna highlighted several administrative matters that he believed required attention. He stated that EDDs had remained pending for more than six months when he reported the matter, including bills relating to auto loan dealers and others. He also alleged that employees who had been transferred to Katram and other branches were still reflecting under his branch ID.

The Chief Manager additionally raised the issue of medical leave taken by an employee named Prashant. He alleged that when he questioned the handling of Prashant’s medical leave, the concerned official subsequently spoke to him and got the leave application submitted. He referred to this incident while questioning the fairness and ethics of the officials involved.

At the end of his communication, Gopikrishna made an emotional appeal to the senior authorities, particularly the HR department and Regional Manager, to intervene in the matter. He stated that he had been trying to contact them through phone calls and WhatsApp since 11 AM but had not received a response.

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He requested that the bank consider his situation on humanitarian grounds and transfer him out of the Administrative Office, stating that the alleged intimidation and pressure had made it difficult for him to work in the existing environment.

The email contains several serious allegations concerning workplace conduct, administrative decisions, pending bills and possible misuse of authority. The allegations are based on the employee’s account, and an official response or independent confirmation from the concerned authorities was not available in the communication.