Tribal man from Odisha throws community feast under threat of social boycott

Days after his shocking march to a bank with his sister’s skeleton drew global attention, the tribal man in Odisha’s Keonjhar district was compelled to perform her last rites and host a community feast allegedly under the threat of social boycott.

However, the man, Jitu Munda, is not complaining. Ever since the disturbing visuals of him walking with the skeleton went viral, donations have poured in. More than ₹10 lakh has either been paid or promised, an amount he could barely have imagined.

“After I exhumed my sister’s body to show it as proof to bank authorities, members of my community insisted that I perform the last rites again. Otherwise, my family would have been socially boycotted, not even allowed to mingle with other tribal families or access drinking water,” Mr. Munda said.

Unaware of banking procedures and asked to furnish proof of death to withdraw money from his deceased sister’s account, he dug up her burial site, exhumed the skeletal remains, and walked to the bank on April 27, 2026. Around ₹19,300 was lying in the account. The account was not flushed with huge fund. Earlier, Mr. Munda and his sister, Kalara Munda, had made eight withdrawals ranging between ₹100 and ₹500.

On Wednesday (May 6, 2026), his village, Diananali under Patna block in Keonjhar district, was abuzz with preparations for a community feast. At the burial site, a fresh memorial built with bricks and cement now stands, replacing the earlier grave in keeping with Ho tribe customs.

A woman from the village explained, “In the Ho tribe, exhuming a body after burial is not allowed. If someone does so, the last rites must be performed again. A goat and three chickens are sacrificed for the community feast.”

Mr. Munda’s extraordinary response to the bank’s demand for proof stunned all who witnessed his march. In the aftermath, support poured in from across the country. According to him, Physics Wallah founder Alakh Pandey donated ₹10 lakh, while Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh announced ₹50,000. Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena promised ₹1.45 lakh— a month’s salary, and Khidmat Foundation contributed ₹50,000.

Until this incident, Mr. Munda and his family lived largely unnoticed. Now, the local sarpanch has overseen the community feast and the construction of the memorial, while an electricity connection has been swiftly provided to his home. Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, Odisha’s Forest and Climate Change minister, also attended the community feast. On April 28, just a day after his march, the Keonjhar district administration issued a death certificate and legal heir certificate, enabling the bank to release the ₹19,300 within hours.