Bhubaneswar: Expressing concern over the hardship faced by Jitu Munda, a resident of Kendujhar district, in accessing his deceased sister’s bank funds, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday ordered a Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) inquiry into the matter.

Official sources said the RDC (Eastern Division) will investigate the incident to determine why the delay occurred and to ensure that such situations do not recur in the future. The inquiry is expected to begin on Wednesday, with a detailed report to be submitted at the earliest.

Notably, Munda, a resident of Dianali village, allegedly exhumed his deceased sister’s skeletal remains and carried them to the Odisha Gramya Bank’s Patna branch in Kendujhar district on Monday in a bid to withdraw money from her account.

His elder sister had died of illness around two months ago. Prior to her death, she had deposited approximately ₹19,000 in her account with the Odisha Gramya Bank.

As there was reportedly no other legal heir, Munda had approached the bank earlier to withdraw the money. However, bank officials asked him to submit the death certificate and other required documents for processing the claim.

Following this, Munda reportedly exhumed the skeletal remains from the burial site and carried them on his shoulder for around 3 km to the bank as proof of death. He also staged a sit-in outside the bank premises with the remains for several hours, demanding immediate release of the funds. Police later intervened and persuaded him to vacate the premises.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister termed the incident “deeply unfortunate” and urged officials to be more sensitive and responsive to public grievances.

Following the Chief Minister’s intervention, officials said the matter has now been resolved. An assistance of ₹30,000 was provided to Munda from the district Red Cross fund. The death certificate and legal heir certificate were also issued promptly, and the pending bank dues were released.