MP slaps bank manager

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Protests over bank manager's assault

1 Jul 2009, 1438 hrs IST

In a reaction to MP Jagannatham slapping a bank manager, employees from the bank have hit the streets in Andhra Pradesh. Around 77 branches of the Andhra Pradesh Grameen Vikas Bank in northern Andhra's Mehbubnagar district have stopped work and are holding dharnas in the town.

The bank employees are demanding an unconditional apology from MP M Jagannatham as a pre-condition to starting work.

"We are organising protests in 8 districts. Other PSU banks like SBI, Andhra Bank have expressed solidarity with us. We are submitting a memorandum to the Mahabubnagar district
Collector.

We will send the copies of the memorandum to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker and also Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha," B Ravikant, president of APRRBEA, told news agencies.

The Association demands that the MP express apology for his action, withdraw the "false" case filed against the bank manager under the stringent Prevention of Atrocities against SC/STs and create a congenial atmosphere for the bank employees to function, he said.

Meanwhile, the Association has stopped disbursal of crops loans and loans sanctioned under various government schemes, Ravikant said.

The Association would hold an emergency meeting on July 5 to decide the future course of action over the issue, he added.

The MP, meanwhile, has refused to apologise. He has proposed a probe into the affair, and if found guilty has promised to apologise.

"He challenged me to come to the bank. I wanted to put my hand on his shoulder but he pulled back. In the process, my hand happened to touch his cheek," Jagannath told reporters.

He said he did not intend to slap the bank manager who, he said, was not disbursing loan amounts to the SC/ST beneficiaries.

Jagannath allegedly slapped Ravinder Reddy, manager of a local branch of Andhra Pradesh Grameen Vikas Bank, for not releasing the loan amount to SC/ST beneficiaries for the last six months at Uppununtala in Mahabubnagar district on Monday.

The MP alleged that the manager gave an improper reply when he called him up during a meeting of the mandal officials and public representatives to find out the reasons for not distributing the loans.