Former HDFC employee gives her version of events after Kanpur bank video goes viral

Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former HDFC Bank employee Ritu Tripathi has put forward her account of the incident linked to a viral video from an HDFC Bank branch in Kanpur, saying the confrontation between her husband and another bank staffer stemmed from a dispute during her resignation process and later escalated into a verbal altercation involving caste-based remarks.

Speaking to IANS on the controversy, Ritu Tripathi said the incident occurred on January 6 when she visited the bank’s Panki branch to submit her resignation.

She said she reached the branch around 9 a.m., expecting that the formalities would be completed within a few hours. As she was fasting that day, she said she needed to return home in time to perform her prayers and had come to the bank along with her sister-in-law.

According to Tripathi, around 10 a.m., her sister-in-law went to use the washroom, where a female employee, identified as Aastha Singh, was already present and had not locked the door.

Tripathi alleged that when her sister-in-law pointed out that the door should have been locked, the employee reacted angrily and refused to accept her mistake. She claimed the employee told her sister-in-law not to speak to her.

Tripathi further said that her husband reached the bank between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. and enquired about the matter. When he remarked that the police helpline number could have been dialled if there was a serious issue, the situation escalated.

She alleged that the employee shouted from her seat, used abusive language, and made a caste-based remark, claiming, “I am a Thakur,” which Tripathi alleged was meant to intimidate them.

Responding to the alleged remark, Tripathi said she asserted her own identity, stating that she is a Brahmin and would not bow to anyone. She maintained that she did not initiate any violence and only sought to complete her resignation process.

Tripathi’s husband, Rishi Mishra, also rejected allegations of aggression against the bank employee.

He said his wife had gone to the bank peacefully to submit her resignation and that he himself did not go there to create trouble or use force. “I was fully conscious and in control of my senses. I did not behave violently. I only spoke to Shivam, an employee,” Mishra said, alleging that the response from the staff was aggressive.

The incident came into the spotlight after a 43-second video from the HDFC Bank branch went viral on social media, showing a female employee engaged in a heated argument with a person and allegedly making a caste-related remark. The employee, identified as Aastha Singh, has also given her version of events and demanded a probe into the matter.

Speaking to IANS, Aastha Singh said the incident occurred on January 6 and involved the husband of one of the bank’s staff members.

“This incident is from January 6. It involves the husband of one of our bank staff members. I myself am demanding an investigation. Earlier, the husband of our bank staff had come and used abusive language,” Singh told IANS.

Explaining the sequence of events, she said she had a brief dispute with a female staff member's relative, which ended quickly.

“I had a little dispute and that dispute was for around one minute and it ended there only,” she said.

She further claimed the issue arose over the relieving process of the staff who had resigned, stating that corporate procedures take time and cannot be completed instantly.

“The problem was that when you are joining or leaving any corporate, the formalities are very lengthy. When you are working as a cashier, then you have the responsibility of handing over the keys and completing all the basic formalities. Only then you are freed,” she said.

Singh added that the staff member wanted to be relieved on the same day, which she said was not possible under the procedures.

“I can tell you that in some organisations, the relieving period is three months and in some it is 30 days. That bank staff wanted same-day relieving,” she said.

She alleged that the husband of the staff member then entered the branch and became aggressive and questioned her caste.

“The husband of the bank staff entered and coming near my table he said, ‘Which caste are you that you are showing arrogance? Tumhare andar jyada garmi hai to hum nikalte hain tumhari garmi. Tumhari garmi hum nikalte hain kyunki hum Press mein hain',” she told IANS.

Singh further claimed he asked someone to call a woman Constable, and questioned how a woman is expected to tolerate such behaviour.

As both sides level allegations against each other, the matter has triggered widespread debate online. Singh has sought an investigation, while Tripathi and her family have denied any wrongdoing, saying they were subjected to abuse and caste-based remarks during a routine resignation process.

Source: IANS