# Arunachal Christian Forum alleges SBI software blocks ST tag for Christians 2026-10-07T16:07:00+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) has alleged that State Bank of India's digital banking software prevents Christian customers belonging to Scheduled Tribes from selecting the ST category while opening accounts or updating KYC details, automatically directing them to the General category. In a representation submitted to the SBI regional manager in Itanagar on 5 October, the forum claimed that selecting 'Christian' under the religion option in SBI's banking applications, including YONO, disables the option to simultaneously select 'Scheduled Tribe (ST)'. The ACF described the software behaviour as 'potentially discriminatory' and argued that ST status in Arunachal Pradesh is not dependent on religious affiliation. The forum urged SBI to examine and rectify the issue within 15 days and warned of a gherao of SBI branches across the state if the matter is not resolved. SBI's response was not immediately available. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The ACF's allegation goes to the heart of a constitutional question: whether a government-owned bank can treat religion and tribal status as mutually exclusive in its software. If the claim is accurate, Christian ST customers in Arunachal Pradesh would be denied a benefit tied to constitutional recognition, not religious identity. The forum's 15-day deadline puts SBI under pressure to either fix a technical glitch or defend a policy. The bank's response will determine whether this becomes a legal dispute or a compliance matter. The state's own census data, which records Christian ST populations separately, suggests the software logic contradicts official practice. ## Coverage - indiatodayne.in Reports the ACF's allegation and SBI's non-response factually, with no editorialising This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Arunachal Christian Forum, Arunachal Pradesh, Reserve Bank of India, Scheduled Tribe, State Bank of India Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/arunachal-christian-forum-alleges-sbi-software-blocks-st-tag-for-christians/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/arunachal-christian-forum-alleges-sbi-software-blocks-st-tag-for-christians/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/