Another farmer allegedly committed suicide in Burdwan by consuming pesticide after failing to get remunerative price for his crops and also due to crop damage in unseasonal rains, taking the total number of farmer suicide in the district to 12 and in the state to 16.
Saheb Hembram, 34, of Tub village under Burdwan Block I consumed pesticide at his home on Wednesday, his elder brother Sunil Hembram said. He was rushed to Burdwan Medical College hospital where he died, doctors said.
Sunil claimed that his brother had taken a loan of around Rs 50,000 to grow crops in his land. He did not get remunerative price for the potato grown by him and his other crops were damaged in the unseasonal rains.
Due to crop loss in unseasonal rains, Saheb was depressed as he was finding it difficult to repay the loan he had taken, the elder brother claimed.
Block Development Officer Debdulal Biswas said he heard the news of Saheb's death on Thursday. The BDO said nobody from Saheb Hembram's village approached the administration about the crop damage in the unseasonal rains.
“We are investigating the matter,” the BDO said.
The district administration recently claimed that suicides by potato farmers were not caused due to their being under debt but over personal reasons. With Saheb's death the total number of farmer suicides in Burdwan district rose to 12 and in the state to 16.
Two farmers had allegedly committed suicide in Malda district, one each in Jalpaiguri and West Midnapore district.
