Bank finger at govt

Bhagalpur: For the first time after the Srijan scam surfaced in August 2017, the management of the Bank of Baroda, Bhagalpur, has denied its involvement with the non-government organisation in the embezzlement of the government money.

Rather, it has blamed the district administration for the fraudulent withdrawal of government money.

Earlier, a letter was sent to the bank’s chief manager from the district collectorate on April 11 in which the administration asked the bank to refund the amount illegally transferred to the accounts of Srijan from the account of the district nazarat. In September 2017, the district nazarat had registered five FIRs in which Bank of Baroda, Bhagalpur branch, along with other banks like Indian Bank, Bhagalpur, and Srijan’s office-bearers were made accused for embezzlement of government money.

The FIRs mainly alleged that through fake cheques, government’s money was transferred from the accounts of the district nazarat to Srijan’s accounts in collusion with bank officials. Faulty banking system and apparent involvement of some bankers with the Srijan office-bearers was also underlined in the FIRs by the administration.

The SIT formed under the leadership of then Bhagalpur SSP Manoj Kumar arrested the Bank of Baroda, Bhagalpur branch’s Atul Raman, a manager-rank officer and A.K. Singh, former chief manager of the branch, for their direct involvement in the fraudulent withdrawal of government money.

Both Raman and Singh still lodged in Shaheed Jubba Sahani Central Jail here. The CBI designate court in Patna also rejected the bail pleas by the two bankers of Bank of Baroda, Bhagalpur.

Anjani Kumar Mishra, the chief manager of Bank of Baroda, Bhagalpur, wrote to the Bhagalpur district magistrate Pranav Kumar claiming the bank’s innocence in the entire Srijan episode and that the bank employees had performed their professional obligations honestly while maintaining banking rules and norms.

Mishra claimed that all transfers to the accounts of Srijan Mahila Vikash Sahajog Samity were done by his bank according to norms.

Courtesy: The Telegraph