The alleged suicide by five members of a family at Tulshibil in Assam’s Kokrajhar district apparently because they were “heavily” in debt has brought to the fore the lack of banking services in the area.

Residents feel the presence of a bank in the area may have prevented the alleged suicide by Nirmal Paul, 52, his wife Malika, 45, and three daughters — Puja, 25, Neha, 17, and Sneha, 15.

Police and residents suspect Paul had run up a debt of anywhere between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 30 lakh from lenders and was under tremendous pressure to repay, which could have forced the family to take the extreme step.

The nearest bank is at Bhowraguri, around 7km from Tulshibil market, that caters to the needs of about 45 nearby villages.

Tulshibil Bebashaya Sanstha president Radhapadma Mahanta, 57, told The Telegraph that the demand to set up a bank in Tulshibil is decades old. There have been several inspections by bank officials but the move has not materialised.

“Had there been a bank we feel maybe, I repeat, maybe the incident would not have taken place. It is understood that Paul had taken loans from several persons at a very high interest rate. The rate is usually 5 per cent a month per lakh. Had there been a bank, he would have availed the loans from the bank at a reasonable interest rate and would not have fallen into the debt trap,” Mahanta said.

The Tulshibil market, which spans part of Tulshibil and Jeypore villages, is around 20km from Gossaigaon town and caters to about 45 villages.

“There are about 1,000 big and small shops, including roadside vendors, at Tulshibil market. The population of the village is around 3,500. It should be good enough to sustain a bank. We have three customer service points appointed by banks but these are not enough to cater to all kinds of banking needs.

“So we request the state government and the district administration to set up a bank and prevent another tragedy,” Mahanta said.

Utpal Roy, a student leader, echoed Mahanta, and said proper financial inclusion was required to expedite the growth of places such as Tulshibil, more so when the government has started direct bank transfer.

Residents also said that banking correspondents or customer service points cannot deliver the benefits of a bank because of the commissions they charge.

“You pay commission while you make a deposit and also when you withdraw. There are also operational limitations,” one of them said.

Kokrajhar deputy commissioner Bhaskar Phukan told this newspaper that he will actively pursue the process for setting up a bank in Tulshibil.“I have also contacted the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission and requested it to activate the self-help groups in Tulshibil and ensure their financial inclusion. We have also requested it to inform us about any family facing financial distress,” Phukan said.

Officials said the district administration will push for a bank in Tulshibil with the lead bank manager of Uco Bank and the Kokrajhar head of Nabard and will also take up the matter through correspondence with the RBI office in Guwahati.

The locals are trying to recover from the incident. Tulshibil was shut on Monday and many shops were closed on Tuesday too, Roy said.

Paul and his family members were cremated on Monday night. About 500 residents attended the funeral. Paul’s younger brother Aadhir from Dudhnoi and his in-laws’ family from Bilasipara attended the funeral and left on Monday night. The two-room home of the Pauls has been sealed.

“Nirmal was a hardworking and polite man. He used to deliver LPG cylinders and also sold gas pipes and stoves. He had also included pressure cookers in his shop. He was apparently doing well. One could not say that he was heavily in debt. The family was liked by all. It is very shocking,” Mahanta said.

Official sources said notes purportedly written by Paul’s daughters in a diary before they committed suicide on Sunday night showed Paul was under pressure to repay as the interest paid on some of the loans was in some cases higher than the principal amount. One of the daughters had written that they were blessed to have parents like theirs and they were educated only because of the hard work put in by their father and mother. Puja was working in a school after graduation while Neha and Sneha were preparing for their Class XII and Class X finals.

Adhir said his elder brother had visited his home in Dudhnoi during Durga Puja but did not share anything about his financial troubles. The family originally hail from Dudhnoi in Goalpara district but Paul had been living in Tulshibil for over two decades.

Assam minister Pramila Rani Brahma and Kokrajhar West MLA Rabiram Narzary visited Tulshibil on Tuesday and extended financial assistance for the adya shraddha of the victims.