Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will recommend strict action against officials of the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB)-sponsored Odisha Grameen Bank over alleged procedural lapses that led to a tribal man carrying his sister’s skeletal remains to a bank branch in Keonjhar to establish proof of her death, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said on Saturday.
Briefing the media, Minister Pujari said the action would be based on the findings of the RDC inquiry report into the incident.
He said the bank could have initiated the required process internally if death and legal heir certificates were needed. “The bank had the option to seek the documents through official communication with the concerned authorities,” Pujari said.
The minister further said that had the institution been under the administrative control of the state government, immediate disciplinary action would have been taken. “Prima facie, negligent staff would have been suspended. Since the bank is not under the state’s administrative control, the government will forward the RDC report to the competent authorities and recommend action against the erring officials,” he said.
The Odisha Grameen Bank Association, however, has opposed any punitive action, claiming that the employees were not responsible for the incident and has threatened agitation.
Rejecting the claim, Pujari said bank staff have a clear responsibility to guide customers, especially those unfamiliar with banking procedures. “If a customer is uneducated and unable to understand procedures, it is the duty of the staff to assist him. The required certificates could have been obtained by writing to the concerned authorities,” he said.
“Shirking responsibility is not good governance. Those claiming there was no lapse need to introspect. If anyone threatens agitation against legal action, they are free to do so,” the minister added.
A day after the incident drew widespread attention, the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) defended its staff, stating that they had acted in accordance with established norms. The bank said the man, identified as Jitu Munda (50), had visited the Malliposi branch for the first time in an inebriated condition, created a disturbance, and later returned with human remains.
The bank further said the episode stemmed from his lack of awareness regarding the claims process and his refusal to follow procedures explained by the branch manager.
