Farmer commits suicide in Bundelkhand region

A 65-year-old indebted farme allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree days after he received a notice warning of action if he did not pay Rs 19,469 electricity bill

A 65-year-old indebted farmer, who suffered damages to his crop, on Friday allegedly died by suicide by hanging himself from a tree in Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand days after he received a notice warning of action if he did not pay Rs 19,469 electricity bill, his family and police said.

shadow of a sad man with hangman noose on wall while making decision to suicide (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Prithvipur police station in-charge Narendra Tripathi said prima facie it appeared to be a case of suicide.

The farmer’s family said his uncle was traumatised and was under stress since he received the Rs 19,469 bill in July. He had taken a loan of Rs 92,000 from a bank and some loans from local money lenders too. “What traumatised my uncle more was the notice...received in August and issued by a tehsildar that he would have to face legal action if he did not pay the power bill by August 26. Yesterday [Friday], he told me that he was much worried given the notice and he wondered how he would pay the bill,” said a nephew of the farmer.

M K Soni, an executive engineer with a local power distribution company, said he has come to know that there was some domestic reason behind the farmer’s suicide. “I am not aware if he had got any notice to pay the bill.”

Sub-divisional magistrate Tarun Jain said he visited the farmer’s village and found his crop was affected. “I will have to check how much was the amount of the electricity bill.”

Tripathi said the body of the farmer was handed over to his family after a post-mortem. “A case has been lodged and an investigation is going on.”