‘Everyone’s Mother Dies’: UCO Bank Chennai’s Zonal Head Treats Employee Like ‘Slaves’, Accused Of ‘Dictatorial’ Behaviour

A rather shocking case, highlighting workplace toxicity at a public sector bank, has surfaced on social media, leaving people furious and calling for stricter actions. A screenshot of an internal email has gone viral, in which an employee of UCO Bank filed a complaint with the bank’s higher management, alleging “inhuman and toxic behaviour” by the zonal head of the bank’s Chennai Zone.

In the mail, with the subject line, “Complaint Regarding Inhuman and Toxic Behaviour by Zonal Head, Chennai – Request for Immediate Action,” the complainant accused RS Ajith, the Zonal Head, of being “inhuman, unprofessional and toxic.” The person wrote, “He has created an environment of fear and oppression, treating officers and branch heads as if they were his

slaves or servants rather than professionals.”

The Zonal Head Denied Leaves Of Officers And Branch Heads In Time Of Emergencies

Further, the complainant described the zonal head as “dictatorial, abusive and insensitive,” citing several instances where he denied leave requests of employees during critical family emergencies. In one instance, he denied leave to a branch head at the time of his mother’s demise. The zonal head allegedly told him, “Everyone’s mother dies. Don’t be dramatic, be practical. Join immediately, or I will mark LWP (Leave Without Pay).”

Meanwhile, another branch head’s mother was in the ICU when he first asked the officer when he would be returning to duty before approving his leave. The zonal manager told a branch head with a one-year-old daughter in the hospital, “Are you a doctor? Why are you at the hospital? Go to the office immediately, else I will mark LWP.”

In yet another shocking instance, when an officer sought leave due to his wife’s emergency hospitalisation due to a life-threatening gynaecological condition, he simply dismissed his request with derogatory remarks, which were not completely visible in the screenshot of the viral email.

Discipline Without Humanity A Decay

In some banks, denial of emergency leave has been justified with lines like “everyone’s mother dies” or “are you a doctor?”. If, on 31 March, an executive’s own family were on a deathbed, would the Zonal Head wait? And would the bank truly… pic.twitter.com/AXqcH3nOUX

— TheBanker’sMirror (@bankaffairs) September 28, 2025

The Internal Mail Left The Internet Furious

The email quickly spread online, with many condemning the zonal head’s “toxic” behaviour. One user shared, “Discipline without humanity is decay. Rules can govern leave; they cannot excuse cruelty. When authority forgets this, it stops being disciplined and starts being decay.”

Another person mentioned, “The only language these creatures understand is paying back in the same coin the very moment you took stand they will hide in some corner never ever will mistreat you.”

“Do you think all these Zonal Heads are behaving like this based on their own perceptions. Definitely not. They are showing the colours of what top management requires from the Zonal Heads. There will be no use of writing plea mails to the MD. The ZHs are doing as per the MDs’ wish only,” wrote a different person.

Several users even tagged the Reserve Bank of India, Department of Financial Services, and the Ministry of Finance, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding action against such behaviour. Notably, neither UCO Bank nor the Chennai zonal office have publicly addressed the allegations.