Union Bank branch in Nagpur rejects Marathi FIR in accident claim case, MNS protests

Indian Express

3 days ago

The Nagpur police on Wednesday booked 14 Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers after they held a protest at the Union Bank of India's Seminary Hills branch on Wednesday over the bank allegedly refusing to accept a First Information Report (FIR) copy written in Marathi for an accident compensation claim.
The protest stemmed from the case of Yogesh Bopche, who died in a road accident on June 8. His family approached Union Bank to claim a Rs 2 lakh accidental death compensation. However, the bank allegedly turned down the claim because the FIR lodged at the Beltarodi police station was in Marathi.
Yogesh's brother, Lokesh, alleged that the bank officials insisted that the FIR be translated into English or Hindi, notarised, and submitted as an affidavit. This demand led to weeks of delays for the family, who were left without support after the death of their sole breadwinner.
On Wednesday, MNS workers gathered outside the bank, shouted slogans, and threw black ink at the bank's board in protest. The situation escalated briefly when they confronted the branch manager. The protest concluded only after the manager issued an apology in the presence of the media and the Nagpur police.
'When we arrived to question the manager, he clarified that he himself was a Maharashtrian and had not personally rejected the FIR. He called it a misunderstanding and apologised,' Chandu Lade, Nagpur city president, MNS, said.
'Our vision is clear: Maharashtrat Marathi (Marathi in Maharashtra). The bank manager also apologised over this and has ensured swift help to the family,' Lade told The Indian Express.
Harshal Jununkar, the Union Bank branch manager, maintained that the confusion was due to procedural requirements. 'The insurance company needs documents in Hindi or English. The FIR was in Marathi, and we only followed what was required for the claim to be processed,' he said.
However, MNS workers said that denying documents in the state's official language amounted to insulting Marathi. The protestors were later detained for over six hours by the Gittikhadan police in Nagpur, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) were imposed on 14 MNS workers.