Bank's Lockout Sparks Political Intervention in Kollam

A private financial institution's seizure of a family's home in Azhikode, Kollam, has ignited public outrage and prompted intervention by Karunagappally MLA C.R. Mahesh, who forcibly reopened the locked property to allow the family to retrieve essential belongings.

The house, owned by Animon and his wife Aswathy, was sealed by bank officials while the family was away in Tamil Nadu for Aswathy's eye treatment. Aswathy had taken a ₹18 lakh loan from an Alappuzha-based finance company four years prior, repaying ₹6.7 lakh over three years before her health deteriorated. The bank, citing loan default, locked the house on 13 May without prior notice, leaving the family homeless upon their return.

Inside the sealed home were vital items, including Aswathy's medications, the children's school certificates, clothing, and identification documents. Despite repeated pleas, the bank denied the family access to retrieve these necessities. Local volunteers arranged temporary accommodation for the family in Ochira.

Upon learning of the situation, MLA C.R. Mahesh intervened, summoning bank officials and reopening the house to retrieve the family's belongings. He criticized the bank's actions as inhumane, stating that evicting a family without notice, especially during a medical crisis, was unacceptable. After the retrieval, the house was re-sealed. Open URL