70-year-old man dies while queuing at a bank in Uttar Pradesh
News of deaths since the demonetisation process was announced has led to an outcry in Parliament.
A 70-year-old man reportedly died after being taken ill on Thursday after standing in a queue to exchange notes in Uttar Pradesh, The Indian Express reported. His death came even as news agencies reported that dozens of people have died across the country while trying to tackle the changes brought in by the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced on November 8.
While several people, many of them elderly, have died while standing in long queues to exchange their money, others have killed themselves after thinking that their life’s savings have been reduced to nothing. A 56-year-old bank manager in Haryana’s Rohtak district died on Wednesday after reportedly working three days and nights, reported Hindustan Times. A bank employee in Pune died of heart attack on Tuesday after working 12-hour shifts handling large crowds. Deaths have also been reported after hospitals refused to treat patients because they furnished old notes, among them an infant.
On Friday, the Supreme Court observed that the long queues outside banks were a serious problem and could even lead to riots, even as Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the queues were getting shorter and people were waiting patiently. The Huffington Post has compiled a list of deaths related to demonetisation reported in the past 10 days.