Naveen Urges Union FM to Intervene After Tribal Man Carries Sister’s Skeleton to Bank

Bhubaneswar: BJD President and Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking her immediate and compassionate intervention following a harrowing incident in Keonjhar district.

In the letter, Naveen highlighted the case of a tribal man who was compelled to exhume his sister’s skeleton and carry it to a rural bank branch to withdraw his dues, describing it as a shocking failure of humane banking service.

He demanded that clear accountability be fixed immediately for the lapse at the Malliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank on April 27 and called for stronger measures to ensure citizen-centric service with empathy in rural banks across the country.

LoP Naveen expressed confidence that Sitharaman’s intervention would prevent such inhuman treatment of citizens from recurring.

Jeetu Munda exhumed the skeletal remains of his sister, who died in January. After several futile visits to the bank where he received no help or clarity, he walked around 3 km carrying the skeleton as proof of her death. The disturbing video of the incident went viral on social media.

Referring to the State Government’s inquiry, Naveen Patnaik noted that the man was left with no option due to the bank officials’ inaction. He criticised the bank’s attempt to justify the conduct by strictly citing RBI guidelines.

“What is more shocking is the bank’s attempt to justify this inhuman conduct by citing adherence to RBI guidelines. This shows a disturbing intent on the part of the bank oflicials to hide behind procedures and abandon the very people they are meant to serve. I need not reiterate that in a democracy rules are meant to empower citizens, not humiliate them. This horrifying incident has outraged public sentiment across Odisha and has also drawn attention in international media, like the New York Post and the BBC,” Naveen wrote.

He added that in a democracy, rules are meant to empower citizens, not humiliate them. The incident has sparked widespread outrage in Odisha and has also attracted international media attention.

The BJD President urged the Union Finance Minister to ensure systemic improvements so that vulnerable citizens, especially from tribal communities, are treated with dignity and compassion by banking institutions.