Surat cop suspended for assaulting Canara Bank staffer — but that’s only one of many incidents of abuse against bankers during the coronavirus pandemic

• A video of a cop assaulting a Canara Bank employee recently went viral on social media sparking outrage.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “Nothing should threaten their safety and dignity,” and the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) condemned the cop’s actions.
• Bankers told Business Insider that this is only one of many incidents that have transferred during the coronavirus pandemic and gained traction because an authority figure was involved.

Bank employees are the unsung heroes of the coronavirus lockdown. During the coronavirus pandemic, they have been doling out essential services while bearing the brunt of frustration from customers — including the most recent incident when a cop turned violent against a staff member of Canara Bank.

He has now been suspended after an FIR was filed and the case was raised till the level of the Commissioner of Police. However, this isn’t the only incident that has transpired.

Despite the many incidents that have transpired during the lockdown, the assault on the Canara Bank employee in Surat gained traction since a cop was the one breaking the rules, sources told Business Insider.

“The story is getting attention because the accused is a cop so there is something to be targeted, if this was a nobody then it would have never made it this far,” said a bank employee requesting to remain anonymous.

Earlier this month, a woman was seen abusing Punjab National Bank employees when they asked to wear a mask when entering a branch to get her passbook updated.

In May, a customer asked a banking employee to remove her mask when she informed him that passbook printing and locker operation was not allowed during the coronavirus lockdown.

Another video shared on social media in April shows how a customer became violent against a bank employee.


These are only some of the incidents that have come to light since banks issued a gag order to employees to refrain from sharing posts and videos on social media.

What happened in Surat bank employee assault?
The most recent incident was of a woman staffer of Canara Bank at the Saroli branch in Surat, Gujarat getting assaulted by a cop who walked in asking for a new passbook at 4:20 pm. Santoshi Kumari, the victim, informed him that that the printer was not working and that time for customer services ends at 4:00 pm.

Instead of leaving the branch, the cop started using foul language. Even though the staffers present at the branch tried to diffuse the situation, the cop entered the woman’s cubicle and attacked the clerk — slapping her and pushing her to the ground. He also hit the assistant manager in the chaos that ensued.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and bankers’ unions react
Many bankers are unhappy about the fact that it took so long for the Finance Minister, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and others to wake up to the plight of bankers.


According to one source, the only reason the incident even came to light is because an informal bankers’ group called Bankers United took charge of the situation.


Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took to Twitter to say, “Nothing should threaten their safety and dignity.”


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