Depressed over hailstorm affected crops farmer ends life He was reeling under loan of Rs 1 lakh

The members of the deceased farmer’s family claimed that Maniram Salame was reeling under a debt of Rs 1 lakh taken through Kisan Credit Card from cooperative banks. The farmer is survived by his wife and four daughters

Depressed over his crops damaged due to hailstorm a farmer committed suicide in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district, about 175 kilometers south of Bhopal on Wednesday.

Representative photo

Agitated villagers staged a chakka jam on national highway to protest what they said government’s apathetic attitude towards farmers’ grievances and only making false promises for them. They demanded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the next to the kin of the deceased.

The deceased Maniram Salame,30, a resident of village Sitadongri in Chicholi block of Betul district was with his wife in his house. Other members in the joint family had gone to attend a ‘Bhagwat katha’ when he sent his wife to his agriculture field and hanged himself from the ceiling in his house.

The members of the deceased farmer’s family claimed that Maniram Salame was reeling under a debt of Rs 1 lakh taken through Kisan Credit Card from cooperative banks. The farmer is survived by his wife and four daughters.

The father of Maniram, Bhujal Salame said, “The government claims to be a farmer friendly government but in actual they are responsible for farmers’ poor condition. Had our crops not damaged by hailstorm he would have repaid the loans.”

Chicholi police station in charge Sunil Lata, who is investigating the case said Maniram had taken a loan of Rs 1 lakh from a local cooperative bank but there was no record that he owned any agricultural land.