PATNA: A farmer in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district died on Sunday, three days after he consumed pesticide following alleged harassment by officials of a bank for repaying his loans. This is the fourth suicide of debt-ridden farmers in the state in less than a month’s time.
Rajdip Nayak, 35, a resident of Bijang village in Ormanjhi block, died at Medanta Hospital in Ranchi, said SK Suman, the SHO of Ormanjhi police station.
“He had consumed pesticide in a bid to commit suicide on Thursday and was under treatment. He died,” said Suman.
“He was being harassed by bank officials for not repaying the loans. He did not want to lose the tractor he had purchased with a bank loan. He was under tremendous pressure and killed himself,” said Pradip Nayak, his grieving brother.
Sources said Rajdip Nayak’s family owns four acres of land. “He had to pay two loans worth about ` 4 lakh. Some bank officials had reached his house to take away his tractor on Thursday. He hid the tractor and took poison an hour after they left,” said a villager.
The authorities were, however, unwilling to admit that Nayak’s suicide was the result of his debt-ridden condition and pressure from banks to repay the loans.
Kaleshwar Mahto, a debt-ridden farmer from nearby Pithoria block, hanged himself from a tree on June 10 while Baldeo Mahto, also from the same block, killed himself by jumping into a well on June 15.
Another farmer, Domna Oraon, of Lohardaga district, committed suicide by consuming pesticide on June 26 allegedly due to the same reasons.