SBI software denies Schedule Tribe option to Christians: Arunachal forum
Scheduled Tribe people are automatically classified as ‘General’ upon marking their religion while applying for account opening and KYC updates, the Arunachal Christian Forum says
The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) has accused the State Bank of India (SBI) of discriminating against Christian customers by denying them the option to select their tribal status during account opening and Know Your Customer (KYC) updates. The forum claims that the SBI's digital banking software automatically classifies Christians as 'General' when they indicate their religion.
In a letter to the regional SBI manager in Itanagar, the ACF demanded the bank rectify the software within 15 days or face potential agitations. The ACF argued that tribal status in Arunachal Pradesh is not dependent on religious affiliation under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order of 1950, and the SBI cannot automatically classify a tribal Christian as General based solely on their declared religion.
The forum urged SBI to examine the software's onboarding logic, clarify if any regulatory directive permits such classification, and modify the software to prevent religion and tribal status from being mutually exclusive. SBI officials stated they were investigating the matter.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
