JAGATSINGHPUR: A farmer allegedly died by suicide after his paddy nursery was damaged due to incessant rains in Balikuda area of Jagatsinghpur district.
The deceased was identified as 46-year-old Smruti Ranjan Swain of Kania village under Alavar panchayat in Balikuda tehsil.
According to reports, Smruti had raised a paddy nursery for the ongoing kharif season. However, the nursery was washed away two to three times due to heavy rainfall. The remaining seedlings were later eaten by stray bulls, leaving him in severe distress.
Villagers said Smruti visited his paddy field around five days ago and was seen crying after witnessing the damage. Since then, he reportedly remained inside his house and did not come out.
On Thursday evening, neighbours noticed a foul smell coming from his house and alerted Balikuda police. As it was late in the evening, the house could not be opened immediately. On Friday, police broke open the house in the presence of a magistrate and found Smruti hanging from a ceiling fan hook with a rope.
Relative Priyaranjan Swain said Smruti’s parents had died and his wife was living separately for the past 10 years. “He was living in poverty. Unable to get financial assistance to purchase paddy saplings, he was under severe mental stress and took the extreme step,” he alleged.
Panchayat samiti member of Alavar Harishchandra Satapathy said Smruti owned around three to four acres of land. His entire paddy nursery suffered repeated damage due to continuous rainfall, and he had no money to raise seedlings again due to financial hardship. “Smruti was depressed for the last few days. He died by suicide at his residence,” he claimed.
Balikuda tehsildar Bikash Ranjan said so far, no specific reason has been established for the farmer’s death. The administration is yet to receive any complaint regarding suicide due to crop damage caused by rainfall.
Police said Smruti’s body has been sent to the district headquarters hospital for postmortem. An unnatural death case has been registered and investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of death.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)