MYSURU: The farmer from Mandya district, who immolated himself alleging government apathy, succumbed to burns at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Manjegowda MD (55), from Moodanahalli, had set himself ablaze near Mandya Deputy Commissioner’s office on Tuesday morning. Manjegowda, who sustained 70% burn injuries, was initially taken to Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences and later shifted to Victoria Hospital. He is survived by his wife Sunitha, son Punith, and daughter Sunitha. On Tuesday Manjegowda had tried to meet Mandya DC seeking compensation for the acquisition of his ancestral agricultural land by the state government nearly 40 years ago.
Before self-immolation, Manjegowda had said in a video statement: “The government acquired my agricultural land worth Rs 8 crore and distributed it to others. When I continued farming on government land, forest officials started harassing me. I complained to KR Pet tahsildar, but no action was taken. I received no support, so I came to Mandya to meet the Deputy Commissioner. Yesterday, I was not allowed to enter the office. I spent the whole night outside, decided to end my life, and brought petrol. I didn’t get justice.”
A passerby captured a video showing the severely burnt farmer expressing anguish over the loss of his ancestral property.
According to sources, Manjegowda had been visiting offices of KR Pet Tahsildar and Assistant Commissioner for months. On Tuesday morning, some individuals suggested that he stage a suicide attempt to draw attention to his plight. Manjegowda bought petrol from a nearby fuel station and set himself on fire.
Meanwhile, district officials said Manjegowda attempted suicide because the forest officials stopped him when he tried to plough government forest land and due to pressure from private moneylenders.
Mandya district-in-charge minister N Chaluvarayaswamy and Mandya DC Kumar met the farmer’s family at Victoria Hospital. The minister said the farmer had 4 acres and 1 gunta in his name. He had taken a crop loan of Rs 3.5 lakh from Karnataka Grameena Bank in 2014, with an outstanding balance of Rs 7.79 lakh.