BHOPAL: A 50-year-old farmer reportedly attempted suicide on Tuesday by lying down on a busy road outside the Madhya Pradesh state assembly.
A marathon debate was underway inside the assembly over the plight of farmers in the state when the incident occurred.
The farmer identified as Santosh Soni, a native of Bagaura village in Chandla area of Chhatarpur district, was saved by alert cops.
The incident happened at around 1 pm, outside Gate 4 of the state Assembly.
“With no one ready to help my cause, I decided to end my life before the chief minister's vehicle. I later tried to lie down before a speeding car, thinking it could be the chief minister's,” said Soni.
He was taken to the Jahangirabad police station where he was booked under Section 151 of CrPc (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offenses). He was released later after his statements were recorded, additional superintendent of police (ASP Bhopal Zone 1) Rajesh Chandel told the New Indian Express.
Soni had lost a large part of his fruit orchard to a power company, which has laid its high tension wires over it. The company reportedly did not compensate him. Instead, it lodged an FIR against him.
Further, he was dejected by the delay in getting his land demarcated by a Subdivisional Magistrate office in Chhatarpur.
“I’ve tried to meet the administrative officials in Chhatarpur over last few months, besides attempting in vain to meet CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal during the past. On Tuesday also I tried to meet state BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan, state agriculture minister Gaurishankar Bisen and even minister from home district Lalita Yadav, but my attempts turned futile as I wasn’t allowed to meet them,” alleged Soni.
The state witnessed a violent protest by farmers in June. Around 50 farmers have taken their lives in the state since June 8 for varied reasons, including debt burden.