SBI has suspended an employee who shared information of forced KYC updation on social media. Let’s understand the whole matter.
An employee, working as a Scale III officer in RBO 3 Jalandhar, had written a letter about forced KYC updation to the higher authorities. Employee said that SBI was forcing employees to do KYC updation without actual documents. The screenshot of the letter was also shared on various social media platforms and quickly went viral. Now, the SBI has suspended that policy, citing social media policy. SBI said that the employee has violated its social media policy.
First Read the suspension Letter issued by SBI RBO 3 Jalandhar
SBI said : While being posted as Manager (Compliance & Risk) at RBO3 Jalandhar (Code: 5204), it has been observed that you were involved in violation of Code of Conduct for Employees of State Bank of India for expressing views on social media, disruption of work environment, defaming the institution by aggressive publication of complaints on social media causing reputational damage to the bank.
Now Let’s Read the Letter Written by Employee andn Concerns Raised
A manager of State Bank of India (SBI) had written a letter raising serious concerns about irregularities in the KYC (Know Your Customer) update process. The manager said she is posted as Manager (Compliance and Risk) at Jalandhar RBO-3, which controls 44 branches. According to her, many KYC updates were done without collecting the actual KYC documents from customers.
She alleged that clerical staff from branches were called to the RBO office and pressured or threatened to update KYC without physical documents or annexures from customers. If branch heads or clerical staff refused, they were allegedly threatened with transfer, humiliation, and damage to their careers. She also mentioned that some officials publicly humiliated staff while forcing them to complete these updates.
She warned that such fake or incomplete KYC updates could lead to the creation of money mule accounts. These accounts could be used for fraud, illegal activities, or even financing terrorism, which could threaten both the bank and national security.
The manager said she had raised the issue with senior officials and even higher authorities, but instead of action being taken against those responsible, she was asked to explain why she reported the issue directly.
The manager requested that the investigation should not be handled internally by the bank. Instead, she asked that RBI officials or an independent agency should conduct the investigation to get the true picture. She also asked for protection as a whistleblower because she fears losing his job or facing punishment for raising the issue.
Now SBI has suspended that Employee. Critics say that SBI is trying to suppress the voice of employee instead of taking corrective measures.
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