Assam tea tribe loan scam: ATTSA gives Bandhan bank 15 days to act, warns of protests  

The Assam Tea Tribes Student Association’s Margherita branch has given Bandhan Bank officials 15 days to clear fraudulent loans allegedly issued in the names of over 200 tea tribe women.  ATTSA has also demanded the termination of employees involved in the scam, warning of large-scale protests if their demands are not met.

At a press meet held at the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha office, ATTSA’s central executive committee joint publicity secretary, Pranjal Baraik, revealed that three bank employees—Ajoy Das, Subhomoy Saha, and Abhijit Dutta—along with a local woman, Rinku Gogoi, had assured financial assistance to tea tribe women in Margherita. However, an internal probe by Bandhan Bank uncovered financial irregularities, leading to their arrest and judicial custody.  

Baraik stated that many of the affected women, most of whom are illiterate and from poor backgrounds, were unaware of loans taken in their names. Others had their sanctioned loan amounts misappropriated by bank staff, who allegedly diverted the funds. Loan amounts ranged from Rs 45,000 to Rs 70,000, but the money never reached the rightful recipients.  

ATTSA has warned that failure to act within the deadline could lead to intense protests, including highway blockades, as they push for justice for the affected women.