Second in 3 days: Another farmer commits suicide in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: A

debt-ridden farmer

allegedly committed suicide after suffering crop loss, in

Umaria district

on Wednesday.

Police however says that as per prima facie findings it seems that the farmer had committed suicide due to

chronic illness

.

The incident took place at

Bhundi village

of the district. The body of Gokul, 55, was found hanging from a ‘Palash’ tree in a farm situated on village outskirts, at around 9.30 am.

As soon as the locals saw the body hanging they informed the kin and the kin informed police.

“Body was brought down from the tree and sent for autopsy. We later handed over the body to the kin who conducted its last rites,”

Nawrojabad police station

incharge, R B Soni told TOI.

“We are yet to record the statements of the kin of deceased, it could not be done because the family was grief stricken, however primary findings say that he was suffering from chronic illness and complaint of some problem in stomach, it is probably that due to the illness that he has taken the extreme step,” Soni added.

Sources however said that the farmer cultivated 7 acre of land and his four member family was dependent on it for survival, but his entire crop was damaged this year. Apart from this he had also taken a loan of Rs 90000 from a villager, and was not in a condition to repay it, due to crop damage, added sources. Though police says nothing as such has surfaced so far.

“We have not come across any loan related issue. However it is a fact that crops of majority of the farmers have been damaged in the area,” Soni said.

It is worth mentioning that on December 11, a farmer from Harda district in Madhya Pradesh committed suicide after he was send a recovery notice of Rs 9,000 in an old power theft case. However these are not the isolated cases of farmer suicides in state, more than 100 farmers have committed suicide in the state since June 6, when five protesting farmers were killed in police firing at Mandsaur district.

If the data of

national crime records bureau

(NCRB) is to be believed at total of 4,750 farmers from Madhya Pradesh have committed suicide between 2012 and 2015.

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