In a disturbing pattern that has been largely ignored by mainstream discourse, the recent suicides of two bank managers from Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda have once again brought to light the intense and often inhumane pressure faced by employees in India’s public sector banks.
The silence surrounding these deaths — both occurring within a single week — speaks volumes about the apathy of the government, bank managements, and regulatory bodies such as the Department of Financial Services (DFS). Despite repeated incidents, no concrete steps have been taken to investigate or address the core issues pushing these employees to such tragic extremes.
Bankers and insiders argue that the professional environment in nationalised banks has become unbearably toxic. They face unrealistic targets, extreme work hours from 9:30 AM to as late as 10 PM, and transfers that amount to emotional and logistical harassment. In many cases, officers are relocated across states — sometimes from the northern regions of the country to remote villages in the South — regardless of their family situations, including caring for aged parents or critically ill spouses and children.
What is more troubling is the apparent absence of effective grievance redressal mechanisms or mental health support within the system. “This is not just about targets — this is about systematic neglect, mental torture, and dehumanisation of employees by their own organisations,” said a senior bank officer on condition of anonymity. “A banker today is a bonded labourer in free India.”
There is growing consensus that only a compatible, independent committee — comprising mental health experts, former bankers, and civil society members — can understand and address the unique pressures of the banking profession.
While journalists occasionally report these suicides in brief, cornered news items, there is a collective failure in highlighting the structural rot that is claiming lives silently. India, as a welfare state, cannot afford to turn a blind eye. These deaths are not isolated tragedies — they are warnings of a collapsing system that demands urgent reform and accountability.
If not now, then when will the voices of India’s overburdened bankers be heard?
