Bhopal: With three more farmers committing suicide over the last 24 hours, the number of farmers ending lives since last five days in the state has reached to six. They all committed suicide due to heavy debt to banks and private money lenders and were finding it impossible to repay it. The Attachment and auction of their farmland and other assets were looming large over their heads. Two debt-ridden farmers committed suicide on Tuesday, one on Monday and two on June 8, in the state. The Mandsaur police have opened fire on farmers and killed six on May 6.
Two debt-ridden farmers commit suicide on Tuesday – one Makhan Lal (68) at Hosangabad by hanging and one Hari Singh Jatav (40) at Vidisha by consuming poisonous tablets. Makhan Lal had a debt of Rs 7 lakh which he had taken from local money lenders and had also sold nearly seven acres of land in past two years to repay the interests.
As usual he went for morning walk towards his agriculture field on Tuesday. When he did not return after a long time, family members searched for him. They found his body found hanging from a tree in his farm, police said. Another debt-ridden farmer Hari Singh Jatav a resident of Jirapur village in Vidisha district consumed poison on Monday and he died on Tuesday. It is alleged that few days ago the family had done the demarcation of land, in which his one bigha land was grabbed by his younger uncle.
Dulichand Keer, a 52-year-old farmer, allegedly committed suicide by consuming poisonous substance in Rehti area of Sehore district on Monday. Sehore is the home district of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He had a debt of Rs 4 lakh, although the crop was good but he didn’t get good price for his produce which forced him to commit suicide. He had taken loan from the bank as well as from the money lenders, who were mounting pressure on him to repay the amount with interest.
Kishan Singh Meena, 40, a resident of village Sagonia of Raisen district allegedly took some lethal tablets on Thursday evening and died hours later. He was struggling to pay back a total loan of Rs 17 lakh. Another debt-ridden young farmer, Anwar Khan, allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide in Sagar district, in village Mokalpur under the Surkhi police station on Thursday evening, police said. He had a debt of around Rs 5 lakh.
