Bankers Assaulted During Recovery, Locked in a Branch: TNGB Unions Sound Alarm on Safety Crisis

The safety of bank employees continues to come under threat, with Tamil Nadu Grama Bank unions, Tamil Nadu Grama Bank Workers Union (TNGBWU) and Tamil Nadu Grama Bank Officers Association (TNGBOA), now raising strong objections after two alarming incidents of violence within their workforce.

Bank Staff Assaulted During Field Duty in Ramanathapuram
On June 18, a temporary messenger and a cashier of Tamil Nadu Grama Bank were physically assaulted by a drunk individual in Ramanathapuram district (Thoothukudi zone). The two had just completed a loan recovery visit on the manager’s request and were returning to the branch on a two-wheeler when a person intercepted their vehicle and began to question them.

Upon learning that they were bank employees, the man allegedly attacked them, mistaking them for private recovery agents who had previously pursued him for dues.

An FIR has been registered, but despite the assault, the accused was granted bail the very next day. The union has condemned the quick release, calling it a dangerous precedent that could embolden further attacks.

Earlier: Ammapet Branch Staff Locked Inside by Borrower
This is not an isolated event.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, another shocking incident took place in the Ammapet branch of Tamil Nadu Grama Bank in Salem district. At around 5:45 PM, a borrower entered the branch with a lock, and locked employees inside the premises after threatening them.

Union leaders state that the man had a history of disputes related to NGO-linked loans, an issue repeatedly flagged by staff and union representatives in that region.

While the management filed a CSR (Community Service Register) and has since received an unconditional apology from the borrower, no further legal action has been taken.

"What was he intending to do, walking in with a lock?", states the union leaders in a joint statement to Kanal, “This shows premeditation.”

This growing pattern of hostility has deepened discontent among unions.

“Nowadays the attacks on bank employees has become the order of the day. We the bank employees are the most vulnerable section of the society who has seldom protection”, said A. Anto Gaulbert, President, TNGBOA (Tamilnadu Grama Bank Officers’ Association) to Kanal.

Unions Point to Management Failure, Warn of Escalation
In a joint statement, Y. Ashwath, General Secretary of TNGBWU, and S. Arivudainambi, General Secretary of TNGBOA, stated that repeated warnings about corruption and mismanagement of NGO loan portfolios in areas like Salem were ignored by senior officials. They claim that only cosmetic transfers have been made while no accountability has been fixed.

The unions further allege that top leadership appointments, especially at zonal and head office levels are often made based on political or internal recommendations, resulting in a collapse of real supervision and field support.

“Who takes responsibility when employees are attacked outside or locked inside branches while working beyond hours?” the statement asks.

Although in the Ammapet case, the bank filed a CSR and secured an unconditional apology from the accused, the unions argue that such reactive responses are not enough. They say employee protection must become a permanent priority, not a case-by-case formality after harm is done.

The unions have demanded that: