Bank employees take out a protest march in Muzaffarpur on Tuesday. Picture by Prakash Kumar

Muzaffarpur, July 19: The North Bihar Kshetriya Gramin Bank Officers’ Congress has demanded a high-level probe into the unnatural death of Lal Bahadur Sinha, the branch manager of Sarmastpur branch under Paroo block of the district.

Sources said Sinha did not return home on July 8 (Friday). The bank remained closed the next day (Saturday) as its keys were with him.

Finding the bank closed on a working day, its employees informed police. The cops found Sinha’s body inside the bank on July 10 around 4pm.

Annoyed over the lethargic approach of the police towards Sinha’s unnatural death, the family members of the deceased met chief minister Nitish Kumar and the zonal inspector-general of police, Muzaffarpur, Gupteshwar Pandey on July 14 and demanded a probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID).

The secretary of North Bihar Kshetriya Gramin Bank Officers’ Congress, Arun Kumar Singh, said the organisation has demanded a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to Sinha’s family, a job to the next of his kin and a probe by the CID.

The officers and employees of the bank staged a daylong demonstration outside the financial institution’s regional office today and stalled work to exert pressure for CID probe into the death of Sinha.

The district police are so far in the dark in the case.

The organisation submitted a memorandum to the chairman of the bank, R.K. Arora, and demanded protection to the employees of the bank.

A delegation of leaders belonging to North Bihar Gramin Bank Welfare Council, Workers’ Organisation, Officers’ Organisation, Employees’ Federation, Officers’ Federation and Employees’ Union met district magistrate Santosh Kumar Mall and senior superintendent of police Rajesh Kumar today headed by under the banner of North Bihar Kshetriya Gramin Bank Officers’ Congress and demanded a probe by the CID.

They also demanded measures to instil a sense of confidence among employees posted at the rural branches of the bank.