]New Delhi: Financial services secretary M Nagaraju has written a letter to the chief secretaries of the state governments, urging them to deal firmly and with deterrent legal measures to protect bank staff and ensure uninterrupted public access to banking.

In the letter, sent on Wednesday, he said securing the availability of banking services to the public at all times is essential to enable households to meet their daily financial needs, access government welfare benefits through direct benefit transfer and for traders, micro-entrepreneurs, farmers and industries to carry on their economic activities without disruption.

"News reports and social media coverage in the recent past highlighted disturbing incidents of anti-social elements behaving aggressively with bank staff within bank premises, which includes verbal abuse, physical assault and even disruption of operations," Nagaraju said, adding that these are unlawful actions which discourage the morale of bank staff and undermine public trust in the safe delivery of banking services.

He further said, "Such actions must be dealt with firmly and promptly, with deterrent legal measures to protect bank staff and ensure uninterrupted public access to banking."