BENGALURU: Five farmers and the wife of a farmer committed suicide in the state on Thursday.
Raichur
A 25-year-old farmer of Shavantagal village, Devadurga taluk, consumed pesticide at his field on Wednesday. The deceased has been identified as Hanumantha. Sources said, he had borrowed Rs 1.80 lakh and was harassed by moneylenders. His crop on four acres had failed too.
Yadgir
A 50-year-old farmer, Tippanna Kurbur, hanged himself at his farm in Kandkoor village, Yadgir taluk, on Thursday. He had taken a loan of Rs 50,000 from a bank and Rs 3.5 lakh from a moneylender, sources said. Assistant Commissioner Durgesh, Tahsildar Mahallesi Tanga and police officers visited the farmer’s kin.
Mandya
A debt-ridden silk grower of Marasinganahalli, Maddur Taluk allegedly committed suicide by hanging at his residence on Thursday.The farmer Puttaswamy (45), had grown mulberry on three acres.
He had debts running into Rs 6.5 lakh, which he had taken from banks and private moneylenders.
According to his family, Puttaswamy was depressed for a few days, after a fall in silk prices. His crop was going dry too as water was not being released from the Shimsha Canal. A case has been registered with Besagarahalli police station.
Villagers staged protests against the officials’ neglect as the canal has been lying dry for the last three months. Only after officials assured the villagers that water would be released, did they withdraw their protest.
Mysuru
A 44-year-old tobacco grower allegedly committed suicide at Periyapatna Taluk here on Thursday.
The deceased, Mallesh, a resident of Haraduru Village in Periyapatna, had taken a loan of Rs 3.50 lakh from banks, and borrowed Rs 1 lakh from moneylenders. Bettadapura policemen denied that this was a suicide.
Belagavi
A 40-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself to a tree on his field at Jod Kurali village of Chikodi taluk, Athani on Wednesday night. The incident came to light on Thursday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Ladamma Kallappa Khaddi. Khaddi, owned four acres, on which he had cultivated cotton and sugarcane.
Family members said he was facing a financial crisis as the crops were damaged due to the delay in rain.
Tumakuru
The wife of a farmer allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide at Kattirajanahalli village in Madhugiri taluk on Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Sarojamma(28). She died on the way to the hospital. Her husband Rangnatha said she committed suicide due to crop loss. The couple had planted cotton and flowers on their 2.2 acres.
Rangnatha had taken a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh from primary land development bank and was unable to repay it.
According to sources, there was a dispute within the family and this could be the reason for the suicide too.