Jeetu Munda, who carried the skeletal remains of his sister to a rural bank in Odisha’s Keonjhar district as proof of her death to withdraw money from her account, has now said he does not want any action against the bank officials who allegedly harassed him.
Munda (50), a resident of Dianali village under Erendei gram panchayat in Patana block, said, “I have received money deposited in the name of my sister after carrying her skeleton remains to the bank. They (bank) have got the proof of my sister's death and released the money immediately. It is a fact that they harassed me. But I do not want any action against them after receiving money. They delivered cash to me at our home.”
“What is the point of taking action against officials after getting money,” he added, saying he was not ashamed of the incident.
“Had I not brought the skeleton remains to the bank, they would not have given our family's money deposited in the name of my sister, who is dead. I have not done anything wrong,” he said.
Jeetu, who is a bachelor and lived with his 56-year-old widowed sister Kalra Munda, said she died on January 26, 2026. He claimed he had no remorse over exhuming her remains.
“Now people say that it was a mistake to dig out the remains of a dead person. But I had no alternative but to do so as bank officials wanted the thumb impression of my sister, who had died three months ago,” he said, belonging to the Munda tribe.
The tribal man had exhumed the skeletal remains of Kalra Munda, who died in January, and walked around 3 km to the Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank, where he produced it as proof of her death. A video of him carrying the skeleton had gone viral on social media.
Jeetu said he was emotionally attached to his elder sister. “I was cooking and feeding my elder sister when she was bedridden. Her death was a great blow to me. But she has blessed me. I have received around Rs 15 lakh from different people for carrying her skeletal remains,” he said.
Kalra Munda had deposited Rs 19,300 in the Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank after selling the family’s oxen.
According to officials, she had married Tadia Munda of Rameikhamar village in Dhenkanal district. After her husband’s death, she returned to her paternal village around 40 years ago with her child, who also died later, after which she lived with Jeetu.
Jeetu said the Rs 19,402 (including interest) in the account was divided among family members. “Jeetu got one portion, his elder brother's widow received another portion, and his younger brother Shankar Munda also got an equal share.”
He added that donations received from other sources were being handled separately. “However, money received from the government and other donations is deposited in my account at a bank in Patana,” he said.
Jeetu also said he plans to hold a community feast on May 6 and has already spent Rs 20,000 on preparations. “Though we had performed my sister's last rites after her death in January, now we have to do it again because her skeleton was dug from the grave according to Munda tribe tradition,” he said.
He has also received financial assistance from multiple individuals and organisations. Physics Wallah donated Rs 10 lakh, while other contributions included Rs 50,000 from Khidmat Foundation, Rs 50,000 from AAP MP Sanjay Singh, Rs 95,000 from other donors, Rs 30,000 from Keonjhar District Red Cross Society, Rs 10,000 from the local MLA, Rs 5,000 from the MP, Rs 20,000 from Keonjhar district BJD, Rs 24,000 from Odisha Congress, and Rs 50,000 from Youth Congress.
Despite Jeetu forgiving the bank officials, an administrative inquiry by the state government is ongoing.
Odisha Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari held the bank officials responsible for the incident, saying, “The state government will recommend action against the bank officials.”
