BERHAMPUR: A farmer of Sanakhemundi block in Ganjam district died on Saturday for reasons unknown. The incident comes at a time when the State is struggling with increasing cases of farmer suicides and pest attacks on crops. The victim, identified as Ajay Jena (53) of Erendra village, fell unconscious soon after he returned from his field, where he had gone to spray pesticide over the crops on Friday. He was rushed to nearby Adapada hospital, where the doctors referred him to MKCGMCH in Berhampur. While undergoing treatment at MKCGMCH, the farmer finally succumbed.
Meanwhile, his wife Kuni alleged that Ajay might have committed suicide worried over pest attack and repayment of loan worth `40,000 from a bank. “Besides the bank loan, Ajay had also borrowed around `4 lakh from elsewhere and committed suicide after being unable to clear the debt,” Kuni claimed. The deceased farmer is survived by his mother, wife and two children. “The reason behind the farmer’s death can only be ascertained after the autopsy report comes out,” said Sarapanch Jayanti Pradhan.
As the news of the farmer’s death spread across the village, several officials, including in-charge Tehsildar Madhusmita Behera, Deputy Director, Agriculture Manoj Kumar Behera, District Agriculture Officer Ramchandra Patnaik, Kailash Chandra Swain and others visited the deceased’s house and interacted with his family members. On the other hand, local BJP leader Bijay Swain also met the bereaved family and raised the demand for adequate compensation to Ajay’s dependants.