KEONJHAR: A day after Jitu Munda made a heartrending 4 km trek, carrying skeletal remains of his sister to the Odisha Gramya Bank branch as proof of her death, the bank as well as Keonjhar district administration sprang to action on Tuesday and released the Rs 19,300 deposit amount from her account to the family.
The deposit was handed over to Jitu, his brother Dhaneswar and sister-in-law at their home in Dianali village, about 65 from Keonjhar headquarters town. An additional assistance of Rs 30,000 was also released from the Red Cross Fund.
“The administration helped Munda (Jitu) in applying for the death and legal heir certificates. By implementing the process in ‘Fast Track’ mode, the medical officer has also provided the death certificate,” the Keonjhar administration stated in an official release.
The incident, eerily similar to Kalahandi’s Dana Majhi, who had walked 10 km in 2016 carrying his dead wife’s body on his shoulders in absence of an ambulance, is not only a tragedy of errors but also a glaring example of systemic failure. While presenting a deeply poignant humanitarian situation, it has exposed an absolute lack of awareness among people living in the margins about how institutional systems function. At the centre of the story was the “proof of death”.
For Jitu, a daily wage earner, the Rs 19,300 was not just money lying in a bank account of his deceased sister Kalara Munda. It was probably a social security net. Kalara had sold her oxen and deposited the proceeds in the Odisha Gramya Bank branch located at Malliposhi village. She was unmarried and had no direct heirs.
On Monday, passbook in hand, Jitu headed to the bank seeking to withdraw the deposit and what followed has since sparked nationwide shock and outrage.
After the incident, the bank’s regional manager visited the branch to investigate the matter. It was found that Jitu had turned up at the bank for the first time on Monday.
The CCTV footage revealed, he was in an inebriated state. When he sought to withdraw the deposit amount, he was told to bring either the account holder or ‘mrityu praman,’ which translates to ‘proof of death’.
The jargon, part of normal banking procedure, did not mean a thing to the 50-year-old man with little exposure to paperwork, legal processes or institutional systems. Miffed, he went back, exhumed Kalara’s body from the cremation ground and carried it all the way to the bank. No death certificate, just live proof that his sister was no more.
A formal clarification issued by Indian Overseas Bank, which sponsors Odisha Gramya Bank, stated that police was immediately informed. “The incident appears to have arisen 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. Bank’s intention was to protect the interest of the poor tribal women monies in the account. There is no case of any harassment,” it added.
Strangely, even as the police persuaded Jitu to head back home, no support was offered to carry Kalara’s remains. The district administration attributed to the whole incident “to a lack of banking awareness” and said it is firmly committed to ensuring that no innocent person faces such a situation in the future.
“A detailed inquiry is being conducted to determine whether there was any negligence at any level of the administration in this incident. Instructions have been issued to local administrative officers to be more sensitive in order to easily provide government and banking facilities to people in remote areas,” it added.
Meanwhile, a complaint has been filed before the National Human Rights Commission, seeking action and compensation for the deceased’s family.