Debt-ridden farmer commits suicide in MP’s Shivpuri, ninth death since Mandsaur protests

The snowballing farm distress in Madhya Pradesh grabbed national headlines on June 6, when five farmers died in police firing during demonstrations to demand a loan waiver and better crop prices.

Updated on: Jun 17, 2017, 07:29:54 IST

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | By Shruti Tomar

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A 45-year old debt-ridden farmer hanged himself from a tree in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district, police said on Friday, the ninth such suicide in nine days in a state rocked by violent farm protests.

Nine farmer deaths have been reported from the state as angry farmers have torched vehicles and ransacked property. (Mujeeb Faruqui / Hindustan Times)

Kalla Kevat was a resident of village Bineka in Shivpuri district and was depressed because of back-to-back crop failures and a mounting loan burden, police said. He killed himself on Thursday.

“We have just 2.75 bigha land. This year, we don’t have money to purchase seed and fertilizer and my father was in stress but we didn’t know that the he would take such a drastic step,” said his son Pool Singh Kevat.

The snowballing farm distress in Madhya Pradesh grabbed national headlines on June 6, when five farmers died in police firing during demonstrations to demand a loan waiver and better crop prices.

Since then, nine farmer deaths have been reported from the state as angry farmers have torched vehicles and ransacked property. The government has struggled to contain the acute agricultural crisis, despite assurances from the chief minister and promises of a partial loan waiver.

Farmers say they are caught in a cycle of plummeting crop prices, a demonetisation-induced cash crunch and exploitative middlemen.

His family said they didn’t have the money to perform his last rites and contributions from villagers helped them.

Farmer attempts self-immolation

Hoshangabad: Fed up of the constant reminders and threats from moneylenders, 40-year-old Babulal Verma of Randal village poured kerosene and set himself on fire. Verma received 60% burns and his condition is said to be serious. He has been referred to Bhopal.

Owner of only half-an-acre of land, Verma has a loan of around Rs 7 lakh against his name. On Thursday, moneylenders threatened him that they would beat him up and take possession of his house if he failed to pay up. At around 3.30am, Verma set himself afire. Police said they have identified four moneylenders from whom he took money

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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