Tribal man’s shock move exposes banking gaps in Odisha

A probe into the Keonjhar incident found possible bank staff non-cooperation after a tribal man carried his sister’s skeleton to claim funds. Officials suggested procedural confusion and banking ignorance, while the Odisha government and parties demanded action, relief, and deeper investigation

Keonjhar (Odisha): Preliminary findings of a probe into the episode of a tribal man carrying his sister’s skeleton to a bank in Keonjhar district as a proof of death to withdraw her money indicate that the staff “did not cooperate with him”, a senior official said on Thursday.

The Odisha government on Thursday started the probe into the incident, after a shocking clip of the 50-year-old man carrying the remains to the Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank went viral on social media, causing an uproar. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had directed the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) of Northern Division to initiate the probe.

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As part of the investigation, Sangram Keshari Mohapatra, the RDC of Northern Division, along with Keonjhar District Collector Vishal Singh and other officials, visited the Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank on Thursday. Mohapatra checked the CCTV footage and questioned the bank officials to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident, officials said.

The team also visited Dianali village under Patana block of Keonjhar district and questioned Jeetu Munda, who had carried the skeleton of his sister Karla Munda (56) to the bank. Mohapatra said preliminary investigation suggests that the “bank was at fault” and stringent action will be taken against the officials responsible for the entire episode.

“I spoke to the bank officials and Jeetu Munda. Preliminary findings indicate that the bank was at fault. Munda and his sister had visited the bank several times in the past and withdrawn money. Munda is not illiterate, but he is ignorant about the banking procedures,” Mohapatra told reporters.

“As there is no audio version of the CCTV footage, we are not able to ascertain what exactly the bank staff told him. Munda was present in the bank from 11.26 am to 11.58 am. During this time, he met the bank manager twice and returned aggrieved,” the RDC said.

On Tuesday, a day after the incident, the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) had said the episode appears to have arisen due to a lack of awareness of the claim settlement process, and the individual’s unwillingness to accept the procedures explained by the branch manager.

Odisha Grameen Bank is sponsored by IOB. Meanwhile, a Congress delegation led by former OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik met Munda earlier in the day. OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das has demanded Rs 10 lakh financial assistance for Munda and family.

A fact-finding team of the BJD had also visited Munda’s house on Wednesday. The party has sought a judicial probe into the matter. The Odisha government has provided an assistance of Rs 30,000 to Munda, who also received the money from the bank account of his deceased sister, the officials added.