An Odisha man sparked uproar on Tuesday after carrying his sister’s skeleton into a bank as proof of death. The incident took place in Keonjhar district — with videos of 50-year-old Jeetu Munda marching into the Odisha Grameen Bank going viral on social media. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has ordered an investigation into the matter while Indian Overseas Bank issued a clarifying statement.
Initial reports suggested the tribal man had allegedly not received his money immediately from a bank in the Patna area of the district. A statement from the Chief Minister’s office said the matter had been resolved after his “direct intervention”. Officials said the relevant documents (death certificate and legal heir certificate of the deceased) were issued on priority, and financial assistance of Rs30,000 was provided to the individual from the District Red Cross Fund.
What has Indian Overseas Bank said?
IOB said the individual had been in an inebriated state when the matter took place. The bank said the incidentn had occurred “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”.
“The reports circulating on various social media platforms alleging that Jitu Munda carried the mortal remains of his sister to a bank branch for withdrawal from her account, purportedly due to a demand by bank officials for the physical presence of the deceased for claim settlement, are incorrect and not based on facts,” the Bank added in a social media statement.
Indian Overseas Bank said the government had issued a death certificate and legal heir certificate on Tuesday. Bank authorities had subsequently “settled the claim amount of Rs 19,402 in the name of three legal heirs and money handed over to them”.
CM orders probe
The Odisha chief minister ordered a probe on Tuesday night as the incident made waves across social media platforms. The revenue divisional commissioner of Northern Division has been asked to initiate an investigation.
“The inquiry will begin from Wednesday to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident, and how to prevent such episodes in future,” a CMO official told PTI.
“Majhi expressed grief over the incident and advised officials to be more sensitive towards people…The distressed tribal man was provided a financial assistance of Rs 30,000 from the District Red Cross Fund, the death certificate of his sister and the inheritance certificate,” a statement issued by the CMO said.
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