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Karnataka: Farmer’s death due to alleged harassment by bank staff sparks stir
After his death, fellow farmers expressed their anger by attempting to lay siege to KVG Bank in Dharwad. Police intervened and prevented the crowd from reaching the bank’s entrance
A 75-year-old farmer, who had been undergoing treatment at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) hospital after he collapsed during a confrontation with bank officials over loan payment, died on Thursday, officials familiar with the matter said. The deceased, identified as Mahadevappa Javoor (75), was a native of Gummagola village in Navalagunda taluk of Dharwad district.
According to the officials, the farmer had been receiving treatment at KIMS for a week and his family has alleged that he died due to the distress caused by the alleged harassment by Karnataka Vikas Grameena (KVG) bank officials.
“The family members alleged that the death was caused due to harassment by KVG bank employees who had threatened the farmer to repay the loan regularly,” said Dharwad district superintendent of police (SP) Gopal Bakode.
After his death, fellow farmers expressed their anger by attempting to lay siege to KVG Bank in Dharwad. Police intervened and prevented the crowd from reaching the bank’s entrance. In response, a protest was staged outside the KVG Bank’s head office in Dharwad. Mahadevappa’s grieving family is now demanding appropriate compensation and calling for decisive actions to be taken against the bank officials, people familiar with the matter said.
The SP said that the Navalagunda police had filed a case against the bank manager on charges of harassing the farmer on October 7. The police registered the case under sections 420 (cheating), 504 (intentional insult), and 506 (threatening with life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the bank manager. The bank manager was arrested and produced before the JMFC court, which subsequently released him on bail.
In 2015, Mahadevappa Javoor had availed of a crop loan of ₹14.5 lakh from KVG Bank. Over time, he encountered difficulties in repaying the loan promptly, resulting in the debt rising to ₹45 lakh. The bank took steps to confiscate ₹1.4 lakh from a separate account without authorisation from the deceased. The pressure from the bank persisted as their representatives began visiting Javoor’s residence regularly, demanding the debt be settled, said police.
