Tragedy continues in MP, farmer hangs himself in Shivpuri

BHOPAL: A 45-year old debt-ridden farmer hanged himself from a tree in MP’s Shivpuri district, police said on Friday, the ninth suicide in nine days in a state rocked by violent farm protests.

Kalla Kevat, a resident of village Bineka in Shivpuri district, was depressed because of backto-back crop failures and a mounting loan burden, police said. He killed himself on Thursday. “We have just 2.75 bigha land. This year, we don’t have money to purchase seed and fertilizer and my father was in stress but we didn’t know that he would take such a drastic step,” said his son Pool Singh Kevat.

The snowballing farm distress in Madhya Pradesh grabbed national headlines on June 6, when five farmers died in police firing during demonstrations to demand a loan waiver and better crop prices. Since then, nine deaths have been reported from the state as angry farmers have torched vehicles and ransacked property. The government has struggled to contain the acute agricultural crisis, despite assurances from the chief minister and promises of a partial loan waiver.

Farmers say they are caught in a cycle of plummeting crop prices, a demonetisation-induced cash crunch and exploitative middlemen.

FARMER ATTEMPTS SELF-IMMOLATION

HOSHANGABAD: Fed up of the constant reminders and threats from moneylenders, 40-year-old Babulal Verma of Randal village poured kerosene and set himself on fire. Verma received 60% burns and his condition is said to be serious. He has been referred to Bhopal.

Owner of only half-an-acre of land, Verma has a loan of around ₹7 lakh against his name. On Thursday, moneylenders threatened him that they would beat him up and take possession of his house if he failed to pay up. At around 3.30am, Verma set himself afire. Police said they have identified four moneylenders from whom he took money.