A 50-year-old tribal man in Odisha's Keonjhar district dug up his deceased sister's grave and carried her skeleton to a local bank branch on Monday to prove she was dead — a desperate act of protest after bank officials repeatedly refused to let him withdraw money from her account without her physical presence, NDTV reported.
The incident took place at the Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank in the Patana block. The man, identified as Jeetu Munda of Dianali village, had been seeking to withdraw money from the bank account of his elder sister, Kalra Munda, who died on January 26, 2026. Her account held a balance of Rs 19,300.
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On Monday, Jitu went to the village cremation ground. He dug out his sister's remains, wrapped the skeleton in cloth, and walked 3 kms to the bank in blazing heat.
After reaching the bank, Jeetu placed the skeletal remains in front of the branch premises — a sight that drew crowds and alerted local police. Officers from Patana police station arrived shortly after, report said.
The inspector in charge of Patana police station, Kiran Prasad Sahu, did not hold back in his assessment of what had gone wrong. "Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He does not know what a legal heir or nominee is. The bank officials have failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from a dead person's account," he said, as per reported by The Times of India..
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Jeetu told reporters about the ordeal in his own words. "I have run several times to the bank, and the people there told me to bring the account holder to withdraw money deposited in her name." Jeetu said.
"Though I told them that she had died, they did not listen to me and insisted on bringing her to the bank. Therefore, out of frustration, I dug the grave and brought out her skeleton as proof of her death," he added.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage, throwing a harsh light on the gulf between formal banking procedures and the realities faced by rural and tribal communities.
Jeetu was, reportedly, unaware that legal provisions exist for nominees and heirs to claim a deceased person's deposits without requiring the account holder's presence — a process that bank officials, by law, are expected to guide customers through.
Police said they were working to resolve the matter and facilitate the withdrawal through the proper legal channels.
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