City residents accuse post office officials of harassing them

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 22

A city resident has accused post office officials of causing harassment to him. He said the officials allegedly did not release his money invested six years ago. Citing one reason or the other, the officials kept stalling his payment for more than three weeks now.

Suresh Kumar, a share market broker in the city, conducted a press conference at the Bathinda Press Club to highlight alleged harassment meted out to him by post office officials.

Addressing mediapersons, Suresh Kumar said, “Under National Saving Certificate scheme of the Department of Posts, I had invested Rs 65,000 (one-time investment) six years ago. As per the terms and conditions, I was to receive principal amount plus eight per cent annual interest on the money invested. The scheme matured on March 28, 2019. Since then I have visited the post office around 10 times on different days, but the clerk and other officials concerned citing one excuse or the other, have been asking me to come on different dates.”

He said, “It was my hard-earned money and a government department cannot hold it back. The official concerned on duty at the post office near the city railway station had been giving lame excuses and were not releasing the money. When I insisted, an official asked me to get it done through an agent.”

Raj Kumar, another resident, said he was also subjected to same treatment by officials of the post office when one of his family members’ money was not released by them.

Raj Kumar said, “We had invested Rs 65,000 and after the scheme matured, the officials denied paying us the money. The official concerned told me that it would take some days for processing our case to be able to give money to us. So we asked them to substantiate their claim and give us in writing about the processing of the case which they denied. While we were only demanding our money, other staff members started confronting us. Left with no option, we dialled to call police personnel to the post office. After cops’ intervention, not only they could process our case, but released the money on the same day.”

Officials of the post office did not respond to the numerous attempts made to contact them.