Kozhikode: No malpractice occurred in the procedures for adding new members to the Karassery Service Cooperative Bank, staff representatives said at a press meet on Thursday. “No login ID was hacked. All procedures were carried out strictly as per rules and after discussions in the director board. The bank’s financial position remains strong enough to withstand any crisis, and its database is completely secure,” said Asif, the internal auditor, during the press meet held at the bank on Thursday.

He said the bank has been under administrative rule from December 1 after the governing body was dismissed based on a department-level enquiry. “After that, a widespread campaign was launched solely to defame the bank,” he said.

Addressing the main allegation on the manner in which new members were added, the officials said the names were entered into the computer system by the bank’s IT wing after an order from the Chairman to the General Manager, based on decisions of the governing body and in line with cooperative rules. Only IT staff handled the process, and no external agency, including the software company, had access to the database.

“It is baseless to allege that user IDs were misused. Every login triggers an OTP alert to the respective user. We completely reject the claim that passwords were hacked. This campaign is only aimed at confusing customers,” Asif said.

The officials urged the public not to fall for such misinformation. “The bank’s IT network has strong security, and its financial base is robust. Since the bank is now under direct state government control, there is no cause for concern. We request customers and those in the cooperative sector to stay with the bank and support its progress,” they said.

The press meet was attended by General Manager Dhanesh, Deputy General Manager Benny Antony and IT head Mubashar Ali Tahir.

The controversy began early Monday when staff and directors noticed that 829 new members had been added using the login IDs of seven staff members over Sunday and early Monday. Four staffers filed a complaint with Mukkom police, and the UDF held a protest in front of the bank the same morning. Later that day, the cooperative department placed the bank under an administrator. The next day, the KPCC expelled committee member and bank Chairman NK Abdurahman from the party.

The bank’s director board has approached the Kerala High Court alleging that new members were added in violation of rules using staff login IDs. The case is now under consideration.

Karassery Bank is one of the state’s prominent cooperative banks and among the few led by the UDF. The UDF alleges that the new memberships were part of a deliberate attempt by the Chairman to hand over the bank to the CPM, claiming the newly added members were sure votes for the CPM panel.

On Tuesday, a majority of the bank’s directors picketed the General Manager, disputing the claim that the decision to add new members had board approval. They also demanded a copy of the board meeting minutes. The directors were later removed and arrested.