He urged Nirmala Sitharaman to intervene after a tribal man carried his sister’s skeletal remains to a bank in Keonjhar to claim her savings

Bhubaneswar

BJD chief and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Saturday wrote to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over a shocking incident involving a tribal man and a rural bank in Odisha’s Keonjhar district.

Patnaik demanded strict accountability and compassionate banking services, especially in remote tribal areas.

The incident took place on April 27 at the Malliposi branch of Odisha Gramya Bank. Jeetu Munda, a 50-year-old tribal resident, reportedly brought the skeletal remains of his deceased sister, Kalra Munda, to the bank after officials allegedly insisted on her “physical presence” to release Rs 20,000 from her account.

Kalra Munda had died in January. According to reports, Jeetu had made several visits to the bank seeking help but failed to receive proper assistance or clear guidance from officials. In desperation, he exhumed his sister’s remains and carried them to the branch to prove her death.

In his letter, Patnaik strongly criticised the bank officials for allegedly hiding behind RBI guidelines instead of helping the family. He said rules should empower citizens, not humiliate them, and described the incident as inhuman and deeply disturbing.

The former Odisha Chief Minister said the case had shocked people across the state and attracted national and international attention. He urged Sitharaman to ensure immediate action against those responsible and introduce a more citizen-friendly approach in rural banking services.

Patnaik further said such incidents expose the difficulties faced by tribal communities while accessing basic financial services. He expressed hope that compassionate intervention from the Finance Minister would prevent similar incidents from happening elsewhere in the country and restore public trust in rural banking systems among vulnerable communities nationwide.