'Proof of death': Odisha man gets relief after carrying sister’s skeletal remains to bank, receives Rs 19,402

KEONJHAR: A tribal man who carried the skeletal remains of his sister to a bank in Odisha to prove she was dead and claim the money she had left behind received the Rs 19,402 he wanted on Tuesday after authorities issued a death certificate and a legal heir certificate to enable the transaction.Moved by a heart-rending video of a frail Jitu Munda, 50, carrying his sister Kala’s skeletal remains in a sack to the Odisha Grameen Bank’s Mallipasi branch in Keonjhar on Monday after the bank insisted on paperwork, the district administration also paid him Rs 30,000 as aid from the District Red Cross Fund.Jitu, a resident of Dianali village in Keonjhar district, the home district of Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, had dug up the human remains after bank staff said he could not withdraw the money without documentary proof of her death.Jitu told officials he did not understand the formal procedure. “I was asked to prove whether my sister was alive or dead. Since I had no papers, I brought her remains to show that she was dead,” he said.Bank officials said Jitu was informed about the mandatory requirement of a death certificate and legal heir certificate as he was not the nominee of the account. “As per rules, third-party withdrawals are not permitted without proper authorisation,” an official said.Kala Munda (56) had died on Jan 26 and was buried near the family’s residence in accordance with local tribal customs. OGB Mallipasi branch manager Sushanta Sethy said the money was released after all requisite documents were produced. “After receiving the death certificate and legal heir certificate, Rs 19,402 was paid to Jitu on Tuesday afternoon,” he said.