3-yr-old dies as father waits at bank; no cash for fee, student commits suicide

[Miss Alone]

A three-year-old girl died in a bank in Uttar Pradesh on Monday as her labourer father waited in a line to withdraw money for her treatment while a college student allegedly hanged himself after returning empty-handed the fourth time, police said.
The government’s surprise decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 bank notes that accounted for 86% of the currency in circulation has triggered a cash crunch compounded by limits on withdrawal of money. Rural areas are the worst hit as almost all transactions are cash-driven.
Dharmendra had been queuing up at the Allahabad UP Grameen Bank in Tindwari in Banda district for a few days to get money for the treatment of his three-year-old daughter Ankita who was running high fever, police said. On Monday, he got Ankita with him to the bank. He wanted Rs 2,500 from his account and had filled the form.

The queue was long but people allowed him to go first but he was refused cash. By the time he stepped out of the bank, his daughter had died, police said.
Dharmendra alleged that the bank manager didn’t give him the cash, Banda superintendent of police Sripati Mishra said.
Angry villagers blocked the Banda-Fatehpur road with the girl’s body, demanding action against the manager. The blockade was lifted after senior officials promised action.

In Mawai Buzurg village of the district, 19-year-old Suresh Prajapati hanged himself allegedly after he failed to get cash for the fourth time and had a tiff with the bank manager.

Prajapati had deposited Rs 30,000 in old notes on Friday and wanted Rs 10,000 to pay his college fee, his father Lalloo Ram said. He was in the second year of BSc in Banda college.
When he couldn’t get the money on Monday again, he went to the manager and the two argued. He returned home at noon and was upset at not getting the money as Wednesday was the last day for depositing the fee, Ram said.
Prajapati was found dead when his mother went to call him for lunch, police said. Upset over the death, villagers attacked the bank building, damaging furniture.