Bank Holiday Alert: Banks To Remain Closed For Up To 4 Days In Several States During Bakri Eid; SBI Employees’ Strike Postponed
Bank Holiday Alert: Banks To Remain Closed For Up To 4 Days In Several States During Bakri Eid; SBI Employees’ Strike Postponed
Bank customers across India may face disruption in branch services next week as Bakri Eid holidays and regional closures lead to multiple non-working days in several states. However, the proposed SBI employees’ strike has been postponed after talks with management.
There is important news for bank customers across the country ahead of Bakri Eid 2026. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holiday calendar, banks in several states will remain closed on different days next week due to regional Eid holidays. In some places, customers may experience a long banking break of up to four days when combined with regular weekly offs and local holidays.
All major public and private sector banks, including State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank and Punjab National Bank, will be affected. Customers have been advised to complete important branch-related work in advance and rely on digital banking facilities during the holiday period.
According to the RBI schedule, banks will remain closed on different dates in different states depending on local Eid celebrations.
- May 26, 2026: Banks will remain closed only in Kolkata.
- May 27, 2026: Banks will remain shut in several cities including Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, New Delhi, Raipur, Ranchi, Shimla, Srinagar and Thiruvananthapuram.
- May 28, 2026: Banks will remain closed in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur, Nagpur, Panaji, Patna, Vijayawada, Agartala, Jammu and Srinagar, along with many other cities.
Meanwhile, the proposed two-day nationwide SBI employees’ strike on May 25 and 26 has been postponed after discussions between the bank management and union representatives. This means SBI branches will function normally on those two days.
The All India State Bank of India Staff Federation (AISBISF) had announced the strike over 16 demands related to employee rights, salaries and working conditions. However, after a meeting at SBI’s Corporate Centre in Mumbai, both sides agreed to continue discussions, leading to the postponement of the agitation.
Even though the strike has been deferred, the Bakri Eid holidays on May 27 and 28 are still expected to affect banking operations in many parts of the country. Customers visiting branches during this period may face delays and heavier rush due to consecutive closures.
Banking experts have advised customers to use digital banking services such as UPI, mobile banking and net banking, which will continue to operate normally during the holiday period. People have also been urged to check with their nearest bank branch before planning visits for cash deposits, cheque clearances or other offline services.
