Orissa: purification ritual for the man with the corpse in the bank
In a story that has sadly gone viral in India in recent days, a villager exhumed his sister’s remains to “prove” her death to officials who were preventing him from withdrawing money from her account. The community where he now lives wants him to perform a ritual bath and a series of other public acts to atone for the desecration. Otherwise, he will be banished.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The image, as surreal as it is macabre (which we have deliberately chosen not to show on this site), has been circulating online in recent days. But the unwanted notoriety acquired by a man from Orissa who – faced with the bureaucracy of a bank that denied him access to his deceased sister’s account – exhumed her body to take it to the counter, is becoming a source of tension within his village.
The Ho community to which he belongs in Keonjhar district has imposed a purification ritual on him for having exhumed a dead person. The decision was taken during a village council meeting in Dianali, where community members ordered Jitu to undergo the purification. They warned that failure to comply could lead to his exile.
Jitu’s sister, Kalara Munda, died on 26 January 2026 and was buried under a tree near their home. “By digging up the bones from the grave, he committed a forbidden act and must purify himself,” said Kande Munda, a resident of the village of Dianali.
According to the village committee’s decision, the rituals were due to take place on Sunday, but were postponed until Wednesday 6 June because he had not informed his relatives. The ceremony involves a purification bath in the village pond, the shaving of his hair and other rituals conducted by a community priest. He will then host a feast for around 20–25 village families and other guests, serving handia (tribal rice liquor) and chicken.
Jitu said he had accepted all the conditions. “I must undergo all the rituals in accordance with our community’s customs,” he said.
On 27 April, Jitu had gone to the Mallipashi branch of the Odisha Gramya Bank to withdraw 19,300 rupees (less than 200 euros, ed.) deposited in his late sister’s name, but officials reportedly asked him to appear in person or to provide a death certificate.
In response, he went to the burial site, about 4 km away, dug up the remains and returned to the bank carrying the bones in a bag to prove the death. The officials alerted the police, who intervened and persuaded him to desist. He subsequently left the bank and reburied the remains.
A day labourer, Jitu Munda had reportedly sold his livestock and deposited the money into his sister’s account earlier. After the incident attracted widespread attention, he received around 150,000 rupees in aid from various sources, including 30,000 rupees from the Red Cross fund.
.png)
