‘Innocent farmers are harassed, humiliated & pushed to despair’

Raipur: Two back-to-back suicide attempts by farmers during the paddy procurement season in Chhattisgarh's Korba district have triggered a debate over farm distress, land record glitches and the state's token-based procurement system.The district administration has denied that the incidents are directly linked to paddy purchase, even as farmer leaders and opposition representatives blame "systemic failures" for pushing cultivators to the brink. CPI(M) leader and Chhattisgarh state kisan sabha vice president Sanjay Parate said the incidents reflect a deepening agrarian crisis rather than isolated disputes. During the paddy-selling season, these cases rise because an indebted farmer, already trapped in economic distress, simply cannot bear the shock when his paddy doesn't get sold, he said.The first case involves Sumer Singh, he allegedly consumed pesticide after repeatedly failing to secure a token to sell his paddy at the govt procurement centre. He is currently undergoing treatment at Korba district hospital.It's alleged that his token was not getting generated because of some problem in the records.A second farmer allegedly attempted suicide in a similar period after facing problems related to land measurement and token generation. He owns 1.3 acres but, officials say, had applied for procurement on three acres. His plot was physically verified on Jan 7 and the updated area was in the process of being reflected in the system when he took the extreme step. A Korba official told TOI, he had earlier attempted suicide two years ago.‘Agrarian crisis at the root'CPI(M) leader and commentator on Chhattisgarh's rural economy Sanjay Parate said, "Chhattisgarh is one of the states worst affected by the agricultural crisis. That is why the rate of farmer suicides here was much higher than in many other states." Parate argued that the system of selling paddy has been "flawed" under both Cong & BJP govts. "From land records to mapping and token issuance, middlemen interfere at every stage and officials act arbitrarily. Nothing moves in land-related work without money changing hands. Innocent farmers are harassed, humiliated and pushed to despair, and economic crisis drives them towards suicide," he said. He added that greater computerisation has, in fact, increased hardship. Back-to-back suicide attempts have drawn criticism. Korba municipal corporation chairperson Nutan Singh Thakur called the incidents "deeply unfortunate" and blamed administrative apathy.