Published 18:11 IST, September 22nd 2020
Tamil Nadu: Retired govt doctor denied bank loan for not knowing Hindi, DMK fumes
A retired government doctor in Tamil Nadu has alleged that he was denied a bank loan from Indian Overseas Bank because he did not know Hindi.
Even as the controversy over 'Hindi imposition' continues in Tamil Nadu, a retired government doctor has alleged that he was denied a bank loan because he did not know Hindi. C Balasubramanian, who hails from Jayamkondan in Ariyalur district, alleged that the Indian Overseas Bank's branch in Gangaikonda Cholapuram, where he is an account holder for the past 15 years, rejected his loan application for not knowing Hindi.
Hurt that the bank manager allegedly refused him a loan after he said he did not know Hindi despite producing all required documents that he had submitted for procuring the loan, Balasubramanian is seeking Rs 1 lakh as compensation for the mental stress he has undergone.
Less than 15 days back, Subramaniam said he had gone to the bank to seek a loan for building a complex on his own piece of land. Entering the manager’s cabin, he said that the first thing the manager asked him was if he knew Hindi.
“I replied to him in English telling him I don't know Hindi but that I knew Tamil and English and continued speaking in English with him, even offering to explain everything in English. He told me there was a language problem and abruptly declined my loan application even without looking at my documents,” alleged the retired doctor.
Explaining further, the retired doctor said that it wasn’t the rejection of the loan that upset him but rather the treatment he was met with at the bank where the manager had allegedly denied the loan as he did not know to converse in Hindi.
“The manager also told me that my land documents were in Tamil, and he could not check them. I was very hurt by this treatment. I am a senior citizen and a 15-year account holder, I don’t deserve to be treated this way; being denied a loan without even checking my bank documents,” he lamented.
Following the incident and the uproar it caused, IOB transferred the manager, Vishal Kamble, to Trichy on Monday.
Reacting to the incident, DMK president MK Stalin has condemned the action of the branch manager and warned not to play with the 'sentiments' of the Tamils.
Updated 18:12 IST, September 22nd 2020