Naveen Patnaik, the BJD chief and Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, penned a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressing distress over a disturbing event at a bank in Keonjhar district. On April 27, a tribal man named Jeetu Munda resorted to an extreme act by displaying his deceased sister’s skeletal remains outside a rural bank to claim her savings. This drastic step was prompted by the bank’s demand for physical presence to withdraw Rs 20,000, leading Jeetu to exhume his sister’s body, who had passed away in January, and take her remains to the Odisha Grameen Bank in Keonjhar.
Patnaik urged the Finance Minister to hold those responsible for the incident accountable and ensure that rural banks provide services with empathy and understanding. He emphasized the need to prevent such mistreatment of citizens, particularly in remote tribal regions. The BJD chief highlighted the incident that occurred at the Malliposi branch of the Odisha Gramya Bank, condemning the bank’s actions and emphasizing the importance of citizen-centric service delivery in a democracy. Patnaik stressed the necessity of immediate accountability to prevent such lapses and ensure compassionate banking administration, especially in tribal areas.
The appalling incident, as per Patnaik, has sparked outrage in Odisha and garnered attention in both national and international media. He called for a more humane approach to banking administration, particularly in remote tribal regions, and urged the Finance Minister to address the issue promptly. Patnaik expressed confidence that with the Finance Minister’s intervention, such inhumane treatment of citizens can be prevented in the future.
