look news india
A very sensitive and serious matter related to the zonal office of Punjab National Bank (PNB) located in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, has come to light, which has raised big questions on the complaint redressal mechanism and customer security system of the banking system. In the era of digital transactions and online payment gateways, when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is continuously assuring consumers about cyber security, transparency and quick complaint resolution, sensational allegations have come to light regarding the functioning of the complaint department of Lucknow Zonal Office. The complainant associated with the media organization ‘Look News India’ has made several serious revelations regarding the bank’s internal system, conduct of responsible personnel and treatment of customers during the resolution of the technical dispute related to its payment gateway. In this entire episode, points related to official correspondence, cyber risks, threats and violation of customer rights have been raised which are directly related to the banking rights of ordinary account holders.
According to the complainant, this entire dispute started when ‘Look News India’ had lodged a formal complaint with the Complaint Department of Lucknow Zonal Office of Punjab National Bank to resolve the technical problems and transaction related issues being faced by ‘Look News India’ in its payment gateway. It is alleged that the name and mobile number of an unknown person was provided in the name of solution through official e-mail by Rita Mehta, the concerned female employee posted in the complaint department, and it was said that the problem would be resolved on contacting the said person. The complainant claims that when the given number was technically investigated and investigated at the primary level, it was revealed that the details were not of a certified technical officer but of a big hacker associated with suspicious cyber activities. Providing the number of any third unknown and unauthorized person through the official platform of banking correspondence is considered to be a very serious violation of cyber security protocols and banking confidentiality, which can create a huge risk of financial data of any customer being insecure.
After this shocking revelation, when the complainant tried to have an official discussion on the matter directly with the concerned personnel and clarify the situation, the situation reportedly worsened. The complainant alleges that instead of accepting her mistake or giving an explanation, the concerned bank employee took an aggressive stance and directly threatened her that if the matter was reported at a higher level, she would be falsely accused of molestation and sent to jail. The receipt of such alleged threat to the complainant in a regional office of a public sector bank to implicate him in legal proceedings in lieu of exercising his legitimate rights is in complete violation of the workplace conduct and Banking Ombudsman rules. Seeing the seriousness of the matter, the aggrieved party immediately informed the then Zonal General Manager Mrityunjay ji, who verbally expressed regret for the employee’s mistake and apologized, but despite this, instead of stopping, the process of arbitrary and unfair behavior in the concerned department intensified.
The most shocking aspect of the case came to light when the complaint lodged by the aggrieved party was closed in the system without any solution, prior information or written consent. The complainant alleges that the complaint department employee and other colleague Rajesh Chaudhary have played a dubious role in the process of suppressing the case and closing the complaint, bypassing the rules. It has been alleged that due to mutual coordination between the two employees, rules are being openly ignored and work is being done to cover up each other’s wrongdoings. The victim says that the customer service framework of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the internal code of conduct of the bank are being openly flouted by these employees posted at the zonal level, where complaints of rude behavior, abuses, threats and mental harassment of customers are coming to the fore, which is enough to tarnish the credibility of a nationalized bank.
This episode has put the biggest question mark on the fundamental right of the banking customers under which any customer can present his views before the senior administrative officers of the bank for the solution of his problem. The complainant claims that when he tried to meet the zonal head or higher officials against this injustice, he was stopped at the lower level and was clearly told that he could not meet any other top official other than him. This development has sparked a new debate in the banking world whether any customer can be stopped from meeting the zonal manager or other senior officials. It is very clear in the ‘Customer Service in Banks’ guidelines and the Citizen’s Charter of the Reserve Bank of India that grievance redressal should be three-tier, with direct access to the customer right from the branch manager to the zonal head and the Banking Ombudsman. The aggrieved party has demanded that if any official ban has been imposed by the bank management on the meeting of common consumers with higher officials, then a certified photocopy of that order should be made public or it should be immediately sent in writing to the account holders through e-mail and SMS so that the actual status of the rules can be made clear. The mastermind of this incident is Rajesh Chaudhary.