Imphal: Angry customers vandalized two SBI branches in Manipur on Monday after the bank refused to allow people to withdraw Rs 24,000 each from their accounts citing cash shortage.

A policeman was injured in violence in one of the banks and while a mob damaged windows in another, witnesses and officials said. Bank work was hit in both places but no one has been arrested.

The trouble started at the State Bank of India in Manipur University when two customers insisted on withdrawing Rs 24,000 each – the maximum one can take out from the bank a week following demonetisation.

Branch manager Prasad Jain said: “They became angry when it was pointed out that our senior officials had declared that such big amounts could not be withdrawn.”

The customers then turned unruly.

N. Birean, a customer, said people who had been queuing up from early in the morning became angry when they were informed they could withdraw only Rs 2,000 each from their savings accounts.

An elderly customer who didn’t want to be named said: “Two thousand rupees is chicken feed. We have been wasting several days for this pittance?”

Sensing the mood, the SBI said the customers could take out Rs 4,000 each. “But the bank will be closed once the cash runs out,” one officer told the crowd.

On hearing this, the account holders started vandalizing the office, the witnesses said. Riot police rushed to the bank to bring the situation under control.

A policeman, Mutum Shyamo, was injured in the violence.

There was a similar incident at another SBI branch at Leimakhong in Imphal West district where account holders damaged windows following heated exchanges with the staff, witnesses said.

Though armed policemen have been deployed in all bank branches in the state, officials say it has become increasingly tough to maintain order as customers who are denied cash become restive.

There have been face-offs between the bank staff and customers in Manipur but this is the first time banks were vandalized.

The November 8 demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes has caused a severe cash crunch across the country. Several banks have unilaterally put curbs on how much a customer can withdraw from their accounts.

The RBI says the maximum a person can take out from his or her account is Rs 24,000 a week.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru: ATM cash van driver Selvaraj’s wife, who was found missing from her residence, has been arrested by Bengaluru police.

The police have also recovered cash worth Rs 79.8 lakhs. The main accused Dominic Selvaraj Roy is yet to be arrested.

The police had found the van abandoned in Vasanthnagar on November 24 with Rs 45 lakh and a gun inside it.

Police teams are searching for Roy in Chennai, Hyderabad and different parts of Kerala.

Roy, a resident of Lingarajapuram, had driven off with Rs 1.37 crore belonging to Bank of India branch, recently.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru: Congress party sources clarified that there will not be any Karnataka bandh on November 28 instead there will be a protest against demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes in the country by the union government. Earlier, there were rumors that there would be a state wide bandh led by the congress party to protest against demonetisation. The congress led opposition parties were decided earlier this week to protest against demonetisation of currency notes by organising Akrosh Divas in the country on November 28.

BJP is expected to remain neutral in the state and country on November 28. JDS is likely to keep its distance from the protest whereas left front isn’t expected to participate in the protest as it doesn’t has any strong hold in the state. Meanwhile, JDS stated that it opposes the demonetisation of currency notes, but it won’t support the protests organised by congress and other parties in the country.

Congress high command has asked all the state party units in the country to organise Akrosh Divas to register its protest in the country. Protests are expected to be held at local level in the country especially in congress party led state governments in the country. The party has asked all its activists to educate the people on problems originated after demonetising the currency notes. Common people, pensioners and others are only facing problems for getting currency notes whereas ban on notes hasn’t yet affected the rich and those who have huge amount of black money. Also, most of the people, who had huge amount of black money, might have transformed their black money into white.

Meanwhile, BJP hasn’t planned any program against Akrosh Divas instead it has started informing the people on positive effects of the currency demonetisation through social media and web portals. The party has said, note ban will positively impact on Indian economy and society in the long term. Therefore, citizens of the country need to tolerate the new change in the currency notes made by the centre to curb black money in the country.

Meanwhile, JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy said that his party won’t support Akrosh Divas as it is likely to affect the people in the state. Common people have been facing huge crisis as a result of currency crunch in the country. Therefore, the party has decided not to put any hurdle before the people by supporting the protest.

Speaking over the demonetisation, Kumaraswamy noted that the centre has taken right decision but failed to implement it by supplying new currency notes through banks. There were no proper preparations to prevent the problems originated as a result of demonetisation in the country.

(Agencies)