Shock in India after man takes remains of his sister to bank to prove her death

The sight of a man bringing the remains of his dead sister to a bank in India after officials had refused to let him withdraw money without proof of her death has caused shock in India.

Jitu Munda, 52, from the Indian state of Odisha, was captured on video carrying the remains of his recently deceased sister through the streets of Keonjhar and placing them outside the local bank.

Mundu said he had exhumed her remains out of frustration, as bank officers repeatedly refused to let him withdraw the money left in her account without official proof of death.

The bank denied requesting any physical presence of the deceased and said they had only requested the legally required documents to prove her death.

Munda, who is from a poor tribal community, said before his sister Kalara died several months ago, she had sold some of her livestock, leaving a much-needed 19,300 rupees (£150) in her account. But as he tried multiple times to retrieve the money after her death, officials repeatedly refused, requesting a death certificate that had not yet been issued.

“When the bank manager refused to listen and kept asking for proof, I got frustrated,” he told BBC Hindi. “I brought the skeleton to show that she had died.”

According to accounts, the police intervened and encouraged Munda to return his sister’s body to the burial ground with assurances his complaint would be addressed.

In rural villages across India, it can often take weeks, even months, for a formal death certificate to be issued which is often a source of bureaucratic strife for relatives left behind.

As the video of Munda carrying his sister’s body went viral in India, it prompted nationwide shock and outrage, with many calling it “heartbreaking” and an example of the “lack of humanity” in Indian bureaucracy, particularly for marginalised tribal communities.

In a statement, Indian Overseas Bank disputed Munda’s account and said staff had only been following standard procedures after other heirs had also come forward to claim the woman’s savings. “The bank’s intention was to protect the interest of the poor tribal [woman’s] monies in the account,” they said in the statement, describing it as a “highly distressing situation at the premises”.

This week, officials confirmed the death certificate had been issued and the money given to the relatives. A minister from the Odisha state government said the case was under investigation.