Farmer couple die by suicide in Parbhani over mounting debt

The incident occurred in Malsonna village in Parbhani district and the deceased were identified as Sachin Jadhav and Jyoti Jadhav

Mumbai: In yet another marker of rising distress among farmers in the state, a farmer couple from Parbhani died by suicide last week as they were unable to a repay bank loan. The incident occurred in Malsonna village in Parbhani district and the deceased were identified as Sachin Jadhav and Jyoti Jadhav.

Farmer couple die by suicide in Parbhani over mounting debt

Sachin Jadhav had taken a loan for his sister’s wedding from the State Bank of India and he was under high stress as was unable to repay it. He would often ask his father how to repay the loan. On April 13, he consumed pesticide. He died the following day while undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Parbhani. When his wife Jyoti heard the news, she too consumed pesticide and was rushed to the hospital, where she died on April 15.

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal blamed the Mahayuti government for couple’s deaths, saying they died by suicide only after the state government reneged on its poll promise of waiving farm loans. He also claimed that the woman was seven-months pregnant when she took her life.

“The suicide of Sachin and his seven-month pregnant wife in Parbhani is a murder committed by the government’s anti-farmer policies. Due to the falling prices of agricultural products, the debt burden on farmers is increasing,” Sapkal said in a post on X.

Only a month ago, on March 13, 43-year-old Kailash Nagre, a recipient the Ideal Young Farmer Award from the state government in 2020, consumed poison and died in his field in Shivni Armal village in Buldhana district. In his suicide note, he had raised concerns about the lack of adequate irrigation facilities in the drought-prone region.

As per reports, 269 farmers from Marathwada have died by suicide in the last three months alone. Around 87 suicides were reported in January, 76 in February and 106 in March. The highest number of suicides were recorded in Beed at 171. Most of the deceased farmers were under mounting debt owing to loans taken from banks and other financial institutions.