1 hour ago
7
ARTICLE AD BOX
3 min readBhubaneswarUpdated: Apr 28, 2026 05:30 PM IST
Jitu Munda alleged that he was forced to exhume his dead sister's skeleton because officials repeatedly denied his requests to withdraw his dead sister’s savings. (Credits: Pexels)
The tribal man in Odisha’s Keonjhar district, who dug up his sister’s skeleton and carried it to a bank to withdraw her savings of Rs 19,300, did not have her death certificate or any legal heir certificate, officials from the bank have said. They have also said Monday was the first time Jitu Munda, 59, visited the Mallipasi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank.
A video of Jitu Munda carrying the skeletal remains of his sister in a plastic sack has sparked massive outrage on social media. Munda reached the bank yesterday, placed the sack outside the building, and demanded the release of Rs 19,300 in his sister’s account. He alleged that he was forced to exhume his dead sister’s skeleton because officials repeatedly denied his requests to withdraw his dead sister’s savings.
Soon after the video circulated on social media, a team from the bank and officials of the district administration visited Jitu’s village to inquire into the incident.
Bank officials have now said Jitu Munda visited the branch for the first time yesterday and returned later with his dead sister’s skeleton.
“The allegations levelled by Jitu Munda are baseless because he neither visited the bank nor made any request before yesterday. This is confirmed by CCTV footage. He was drunk when he came with the skeletal remains of his dead sister,” said Satyabrata Nanda, who investigated the matter on behalf of the bank.
Nanda said the Rs 19,300 in Jitu Munda’s sister’s account is safe and can be withdrawn after the necessary process.
As per banking rules, only an account holder/s can withdraw money. A death certificate and a legal heir certificate are required to withdraw money if the account holder dies.
Story continues below this ad
Susant Kumar Sethi, manager of the Mallipasi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank, said he explained the rules to Jitu Munda when he visited the bank for the first time yesterday. “He got furious and due to lack of awareness about banking procedures, he brought his sister’s exhumed body to the bank premises,” Sethi said.
The Keonjhar district administration has ordered an inquiry into the incident to ascertain all facts. Speaking to The Indian Express, Keonjhar collector Vishal Singh said that as per information received from the tehsildar, Jitu Munda had not applied for her sister’s death certificate or legal heir certificate, nor had he sought assistance from the revenue inspector or any other administrative officer.
“Application for the death certificate of (his sister) Kalara Munda has been filed at the community health centre. The tehsildar, Patana, has been directed to identify the genuine legal heirs and take necessary steps as per rules for settlement of the claim,” said Singh.
Considering Jitu Munda’s condition, the district administration sanctioned immediate financial assistance of Rs 20,000 from the District Red Cross fund on humanitarian grounds, officials have said.
Story continues below this ad
According to officials, Jitu’s sister married Tadia Munda of Rameikhamar village in Odisha’s Dhenkanal District. After her husband’s death, she shifted to her paternal home at Dianali village in Keonjhar 40 years ago with her child. Her child died after some time. Since then, she had been living with her brothers and one sister until her death on January 26 this year.
Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read More
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
English (US) ·