PMC Bank depositors on hunger strike in Mumbai, seek relief from RBI

Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank depositors on Thursday sat on a token hunger strike near Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headquarters in Fort. They are seeking a resolution from RBI, allowing them immediate access to their money.

Depositors have said that the banks which went into moratoriums after PMC Bank were back in operational mode almost immediately, the latest being the Lakshmi Vilas Bank.

“They (RBI) are pushing us beyond limits but still we are trying to restrain ourselves with peaceful and democratic means to showcase our pathetic state. We don’t know when the police will be ordered to pick us up and throw us in jails. But that will not dilute our resolve to fight for our rights,” said Nikhil Vora, key member of the PMC Bank Depositors Association.

Another despositor, Anita Lohiya, said, “Through this token hunger strike, we are expressing our ordeal. If the central bank still fails to resolve the issue, we will sit on an indefinite hunger strike.”