Demonetization | Two dead over money exchange stress in UP

Two persons died in separate incidents in Ballia and Bareilly districts of Uttar Pradesh following distress over not being able to exchange old currency notes after demonetization. In Ballia, a 40-year-old man died here after suffering a heart attack as he could not exchange old currency notes for the "tilak" ceremony of his daughter, his family members claimed on Wednesday.

The "tilak" ceremony of Suman, daughter of Suresh Sonar, a resident of Sahatwar Nagar panchayat Ballia, was scheduled for Wednesday. But he was short of cash due to "abrupt" demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, they said.

A dejected Suresh returned home on Tuesday evening after standing in a queue for hours at the State Bank of India branch here. He suffered a massive heart attack last night and died, family members claimed. SP Ballia Vaibav Krishna said, "The matter was being in looked into."

In Bareilly, 56-year-old Khaleef Hasan fell unconscious while standing in queue to withdraw money at Punjab National Bank branch in Eit Pajaya locality in Baradari area, an official release issued by DGP office said. After falling unconscious, he died on the spot, it said, adding the exact cause of death could not be ascertained. The family members of the victim said he was in distress due to demonetization causing his death.