SBI Chief Manager Collapse During Meeting, Later Dies - Bankers Allege No Compassionate Approach Within Regional Office

The sudden demise of Mr Santosh Kumar, Chief Manager (Operations), RAO-2, Morbi under Ahmedabad Circle, Gujarat has shaken many. He suffered a massive heart attack early this week in the middle of a meeting at the Regional Business Office (RBO). Some colleagues rushed him to the hospital, but unfortunately, he could not survive.

Image - An X post on the demise

According to the reported bankers, What pains even more than the loss itself is the way the news was handled. Half of the RBO staff remained unaware of his passing until late in the evening. Regular office work, meetings, and calls continued throughout the day, as if nothing had happened. Those who came to know had little time, or perhaps little platform, to inform the others. Colleagues say the situation reflects the ultimate height of insensitivity. Instead of mourning and pausing to honor their late Chief Manager, the office machinery moved on as if nothing had happened.

The bankers say “This incident raises a deeper question: Have we, as an organisation, reached a point where human life is overshadowed by routine files and targets? Are we merely reduced to employee codes and PF numbers, easily replaced the next day without pause or reflection?”

The welshers allege that every banker knows the system’s demand for efficiency, speed, and compliance. But when a colleague collapses during duty and his absence fails to halt even a single meeting, it exposes the height of insensitivity in our working culture. It reminds us that while orders for replacement will arrive in a day or two, no order can replace the loss felt by a grieving family.

The concerned bankers affirm that “As bankers, we must recognise that beyond business targets, branch ratings, or compliance reviews, lies the human being who makes the system run. Compassion, empathy, and basic respect should not be casualties of organisational discipline. The tragedy of Shri Santosh Kumar is not only about a life lost too soon—it is about a system that did not pause even for a day to honour his contribution.”

They concluded it by saying “we owe it to ourselves, and to every colleague who serves with dedication, to push for a culture that values people before processes. Work can wait. Humanity cannot.”