Systemic failure: Bank’s demand for 'proof of death' leads man to exhume sister

In a staggering display of desperation and systemic failure, a 50-year-old tribal man in Odisha’s Keonjhar district carried the mortal remains of his deceased sister to a rural bank on Monday (Apr 27), claiming he had been told to produce the account holder in person to withdraw her savings. The man, identified as Jitu Munda arrived at the Odisha Grameen Bank’s Maliposi branch clutching a plastic sack containing the exhumed bones of his sister, Kalra Munda. She left behind approximately Rs 20,000 in her savings account.

Jitu, who is illiterate, told local reporters that he had visited the bank multiple times to claim the funds but was repeatedly rebuffed. He said he informed the bank that his sister had died but they insisted he bring the account holder to the bank. Out of sheer frustration and a literal interpretation of the bank’s demands, he dug up her grave two months after her burial to provide what he believed was the only acceptable "proof."

The incident has triggered a massive political row in Odisha and across the country. However, bank officials and local administrative authorities have offered a more technical explanation. Sub-Collector Uma Shankar Dalai noted that because Jitu is a brother and not a "Class-I legal heir" (like a spouse or child), the bank was legally required to ask for specific documentation, such as a death certificate and a legal heir certificate. He was quoted by news agency ANI, “The tribal man was not aware of the procedural aspects. Out of frustration, he did this. Prima facie, it appears that since this man is not a class-I legal heir of his sister, the concerned bank rightly asked him for documents which he could not produce. Today, he will apply for the necessary documents.”

“We are facilitating early processing of Red Cross Assistance of Rs 20,000, the death certificate and the legal heir certificate and release of the deposited money to the legal heirs in consultation with the bank," he said. Following the shock at the bank branch, local police intervened to pacify Munda and ensured the skeletal remains were respectfully reburied in his village. The district administration has since fast-tracked Jitu’s application for the necessary certificates and provided ₹20,000 in immediate assistance from the Red Cross fund.

The incident highlights the severe gap in financial literacy and the rigid, often insensitive, nature of rural banking procedures that continue to alienate India’s most vulnerable communities.