About 1,000 customers of Catholic Syrian Bank of India demonstrated outside its Muktaram Babu Street branch on Friday to protest the bank remaining shut in the city for the 12th consecutive day.

Employees have forced the two Calcutta branches to down shutters to protest the transfer of two of their colleagues. The branches have over 20,000 accounts and about Rs 17 crore is transacted by them daily. The bank had not given a notice to customers before closing.

“My telephone bills are paid through the electronic clearance system. All the lines have been disconnected because of non-payment of dues, though I have more than the required amount in my bank account,” said businessman Prem Kishan, a customer of the bank.

“We have to deal in lakhs of rupees every day with the Puja approaching and are suffering huge losses because the bank is closed,” complained Chandra Mohta, a garment trader on Muktaram Babu Street.

Another customer, Ganesh Bahadur Srestha, said: “My monthly salary is paid in my Catholic Syrian bank account. But since it is closed, I’ll be forced to borrow from my in-laws to pay my son’s school fees.”

Several customers said they could not contact the senior officials of the bank in Calcutta, as well as at its headquarters in Thrissur, Kerala.

The agitating employees expressed helplessness. “We are aware that the customers are being harassed. But the way our colleagues have been transferred is highly objectionable,” said Kamlesh Mukherjee, an agitating employee.

K.J. Sebastian, a senior official of the bank, said: “I have informed the head office. We are taking legal action and have informed police.”