Farmer attempts ‘suicide’ by swallowing sleeping pills
Tamil Nadu farmers protesting at Jantar Mantar have alleged that one of them attempted to commit suicide on Monday by swallowing a handful of sleeping pills.
NK Subramaniam, the farmer from Tamil Nadu, was rushed to RML hospital for treatment after he allegedly swallowed around six sleeping pills.
But police maintained it was a case of overdose. “Subramaniam has given a statement to doctors that he had been having difficulties falling asleep for the last couple of days and had taken the six-odd sleeping pills to help him sleep better,” said BK Singh, deputy commissioner of police, New Delhi.
Farmers countered by saying Subramaniam had even spoken about taking his own life earlier in the day.
R Sellaperumal, a farmer at the site, claimed he had been with Subramaniam before he lost consciousness.
“He told us in the morning that he thought he would have to commit suicide as the central government was not responding to the farmer’s demands or empathising with our plight. We did not think he would actually try to do so. It was only when he fainted at around 8:30 am that we realized he had actually done it. We tried sprinkling some water on his face. He opened his eyes a little bit and told us that he could not bear to see our plights anymore and he was committing suicide in the hope that it would move the central government to action,” claimed Sellaperumal.
Others said he had been “very disturbed” for the last couple of days.
“Though he had no loans in his name, his family members were in debt. He had been disturbed for the last two days, as he thought that even after nine days of protest there has been no reaction from the central government and he would have to do something so drastic,” said John Milkyaraj, a farmer from Tamil Nadu who has been protesting at Jantar Mantar.
Subramaniam is recovering at RML hospital and is under observation.
A group of farmers from Tamil Nadu had come back to Jantar Mantar nine days ago, asking the central government to intervene to give them loan waivers, fair prices for their produce, a revised drought relief package and to constitute a Cauvery river management board, among other things.