Madhya Pradesh farmer commits suicide in Sehore district; family blames govt apathy, indebtedness for death

Sehore (MP): A 30-year-old farmer hanged himself at his home in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, which his kin claimed was the fallout of indebtedness and government apathy. [caption id=“attachment_3827561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Sehore is the home district of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Opposition Congress has alleged that 116 cultivators, including 13 in Sehore district alone, have killed themselves between 7 June and 1 October since the launch of farmers’ stir in June this year. “Bane Singh Parmar (30) committed suicide by hanging himself with the ceiling of his house in the wee hours today at Dhabla village,” additional superintendent of police (ASP) Avdhesh Pratap Singh said. He said a case has been registered and further investigation is underway. “The exact reason behind the suicide would be known after the investigation,” the officer said. However, family members of Parmar alleged that he took the extreme step due to indebtedness and crop failure. “He was under stress due to loan outstanding of Rs five lakh and the crop failure. The soybean produce in his farm was only 10 quintal this year. He was also not given the compensation under the government’s crop insurance scheme,” Parmar’s sister Sumitra Bai said. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Ajay Singh claimed that 116 farmers have committed suicide in the last 110 days in the state. “116 farmers have ended their lives between 7 June and 1 October. In chief minister’s home district Sehore, 13 peasants have committed suicide during the same period,” Singh alleged. He said farmers are fed up with “empty promises” being made by the state BJP government in the last 14 years. “Farmers are finding themselves helpless and are killing themselves,” Singh alleged. Farmers in western Madhya Pradesh had launched a massive stir for a loan waiver and better remunerative prices for their agri produce in June this year. Five farmers were killed in the police firing in Mandsaur district on 6 June, as the agitation turned violent.