Debt-ridden farmer ends life in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: A 55-year-old tribal farmer allegedly committed suicide in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund district reportedly because of debt burden, officials said today.

Manthir Singh Dhruv hanged himself in his home in Mokha village under Komakhan police station limits yesterday, a local police official told PTI.

No suicide note was found at the spot, he added.

Komakhan, which falls under Bagbahara development block, is located around 110km from here.

While Dhruv's family members insisted he took the extreme step due to mounting debt, the district administration said initial inquiry revealed the farmer was not facing any financial crisis.

"Preliminary inquiry does not indicate that debt forced him to end his life, but a detailed investigation is underway," Mahasamund Collector Himshikhar Gupta told PTI.

Dhruv owned around 7.5 hectares of land in the village.

He had been paying back his loans, borrowed from a local cooperative society for cultivation, every year, the collector said.

The agriculturist had sold paddy worth around Rs 4 lakh in January-February this year, he said.

Dhruv owed Rs 1.25 lakh to the local cooperative society and had another loan of around Rs 2.25 lakh which he had taken for purchasing a tractor last year, Gupta said.

Meanwhile, the farmer's son Devi Singh said his father was upset for the last couple of weeks due to financial burden.

"Last year, he took a loan to procure a tractor. He had also borrowed money for farming. He was disturbed for the last couple of weeks and often wondered how he would pay off his loans," Devi Singh told reporters.

"In the last rabi season, we suffered a huge crop loss. All these factors had frustrated my father," he said.

Meanwhile, members of the Chhattisgarh Kisan Mahasangh, an outfit of farmers, visited Dhruv's house yesterday and demanded a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for his family from the state government.