In MP, 20 farmers end lives in 2 weeks

Distressed over their debts, three more peasants allegedly ended their lives in Madhya Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the number of farmers’ suicide in the state to 20 since June 8.

While two suicides were reported from Sagar and Chhatarpur districts of backward Bundelkhand region, another one was reported from Budni, the assembly segment represented by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

In Sagar, 50-year-old Gulai Kurmi was found hanging from the branch of a tree in his agricultural field in Basahari village under Bina tehsil of the district on Wednesday afternoon, the police said.

Kurmi has left behind a suicide note, in which he said he was being harassed by a moneylender over the loan of Rs 1 lakh he had taken from him. In the suicide note, Kurmi claimed he had actually paid Rs 2.5 lakh in exchange of loan of Rs one lakh, but the moneylender named as Shankar Maharaj — continued to harass him.

Sagar SP Sachin Atulkar said, “The police is recording the statements of Kurmi’s family members on the basis of the suicide note found with the deceased. Further action would be taken on the basis of investigation.”

In Chhatarpur, a 75-year old farmer identified as Mahesh Tiwari, ended his life by hanging himself from the ceiling at his residence located on a hillock near local Sandhya Bihar colony, police said.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Chhatarpur DP Dwivedi said Tiwari did not own any farmland. Tiwari’s son Buddh Prakash said his father was a contractfarmer, cultivat ing farming fields at village Chithari on rent and owed a debt of Rs 90,000.