SBI software denies Schedule Tribe option to Christians: Arunachal forum

An apex body of Christians in Arunachal Pradesh alleged that the State Bank of India’s digital banking software prevents followers of the religion from selecting the ‘Scheduled Tribe (ST)’ option during account opening or KYC (Know Your Customer) update.

The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) said the digital system automatically classifies an applicant as ‘General’ when he or she marks self as Christian.

In a letter to the regional manager of the SBI’s regional office in Itanagar, the State capital, ACF president James Techi Tara and secretary general Yomrik Lombi warned of agitations if the public sector bank did not make the requisite technical corrections within 15 days.

The SBI’s regional office received the letter on October 5.

The ACF said the software disables the ST option when one marks ‘Christian’ as one’s religion. Pointing out that tribal status in Arunachal Pradesh was not contingent on religious affiliation under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order of 1950, the forum said such software was “potentially discriminatory”.

“The SBI is not the competent authority to de-list a tribal Christian customer who possesses a valid ST certificate. The SBI cannot automatically classify a tribal Christian under the General category solely based on their declared religion,” the ACF letter stated.

The forum urged SBI authorities to examine the onboarding logic, clarify whether any regulatory or Reserve Bank of India directive permits such classification, and rectify the software to prevent religion and tribal status from being treated as mutually exclusive.

SBI officials said they were looking into the matter.