Keonjhar:
A man in Odisha’s Keonjhar district walked three kilometres under the scorching sun, carrying his dead sister’s skeletal remains on his shoulder to a bank in an attempt to retrieve Rs 19,300 from her account.
The man, Jitu Munda, is from Keonjhar’s Dianali village. His sister, Kakra Munda, held an account at Odisha Gramin Bank, Mallipasi. Kakra died two months ago. Her husband and only child died earlier, leaving Jitu as her sole surviving relative.
When Jitu approached the bank to withdraw the Rs 19,300 remaining balance in his sister’s account, the bank manager refused, saying either the account holder must be present or he must furnish legal heir documents.
A tribal man with no education, Jitu had no death certificate or succession papers and returned helpless after not being able to understand the complex process.
On Monday, Jitu went to the village cremation ground. He dug out his sister’s remains, wrapped the skeleton in cloth, and walked 3 kms to the bank in blazing heat.
Once Jitu reached the bank, the sight left the locals stunned. While some wept, others fumed in anger. Villagers accused the bank of extreme insensitivity. “Is it this hard for a poor man to get his own money?” they asked.
Locals said the bank could have verified with the Sarpanch or done a field visit, but paperwork won over compassion.
Police Intervene, Assure Action
Police reached the spot after being alerted, calmed Jitu and took charge. Police said the case would be handled on humanitarian grounds and sought a response from the bank.
(With inputs from Dev Kumar Ghosh)