Extremists threatening banking sector in NE

Guwahati, May 31 (UNI) After relenting to extremists' demands for long, the banking sector in North East today aired openly the threat to life and extortions it is facing in the region.

''Our employees are constantly under the threat of militants, who also extort money regularly from them,'' the SBI officers' associations said at a joint press conference here.

General secretary of the SBI officers body KP Deb said SBI employees in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam's North Cachar Hills district were shelling out lakhs of rupees per month to the extremists.

''They are constantly living in fear of their lives and hence our performance has also been affected due to this mental strain,'' he added.

Moreover, SBI staff from other parts of the country quit jobs fearing transfer to NE, resulting in a massive staff crunch, Mr Deb said.

The SBI officers' associations demanded more security for its employees from the state government, especially in the vulnerable areas.

UNI SG PL SY BD1740