UP: Amid Ongoing Agrarian Crisis, Another Farmer Commits Suicide

New Delhi: Another debt-ridden farmer has allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba district, triggering anger and panic among the villagers. This is the third case of suicide by farmers in the state in the last few months.

Farmers’ suicides are not as common in Uttar Pradesh unlike in developed states such as Maharashtra, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The debt-ridden marginal farmer, Rakesh Sahu, in his early 40s, was a resident of Subhash Nagar colony in Mahoba, nearly 235 km from Lucknow. He allegedly ended his life after being under pressure from a bank, a primary agriculture credit society (PACS) and moneylenders, according to his family members.

According to his wife Budhiya, Rakesh committed suicide on Friday inside his room when he was alone in the house. He had taken a loan of Rs 1.40 lakh from the Allahabad Bank Panwari with a Kisan Credit Card in 2013, but could not repay it due to crop failure and drought. Gradually, the debt increased to Rs 2.11 lakh.

Rakesh’s wife and neighbour blamed the bank and the moneylenders for repeatedly pressuring him and harassing him to pay back the money lent to him for agricultural purpose.

“Like many other farmers, my husband Rakesh also suffered heavy losses due to drought and excess rain followed by floods in the last one year. The damage was greater this year and he was debt-ridden. Troubled by the lack of yield, my husband had started selling peanuts on the roadside along with agricultural work to repay the loan. Allahabad Bank issued several notices against him, as he was unable to pay a single instalment in six years. Due to this, he was under a lot of stress,” added Budhiya.

Farmer distress is getting worse with each passing day in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. Drought continues to aggravate the plight of the farmers. Debt-ridden farmers here are being forced to take extreme steps as recovery notices from banks against unpaid loans pile up at their homes.

Meanwhile, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader in Mahoba said that farmers’ suicides in UP have largely gone unnoticed, both by the state government and by the media, despite a substantial increase since the Adityanath-led BJP government came to power.

“Rakesh had taken Rs 1.40 lakh from the Allahabad Bank in 2013 for farming. His crop in two bigha land was destroyed due to first draught and later excess rainfall. Meanwhile, the amount got doubled almost in six years. The bank has served notices to him several times. The bank officers also used to threaten him through the notices and insult him. Due to bank officers’ behaviour, Rakesh was mentally disturbed. Seeing no option left in front of him, he was forced to commit suicide,” he explained.

He added, “The latest suicide is a crude reminder that the farmers have not benefited from the farm loan waiver scheme and the crisis can not be solved without bringing other issues into the loop. A farmer would get the benefit only when he gets the amount in a bank account. Not a single farmer I have met has received the amount.”

Due to the continued apathy of the state towards the agrarian crisis, not a single month passes now when farmers do not commit suicide in one district or the other. Yet, the Yogi Adityanath-led state government and the media continue to ignore the crisis, said the BKU leader.

Meanwhile, on November 17, Ranveer, a 38-year old debt-ridden farmer has allegedly committed suicide by hanging from a tree in his agricultural field in Salempur Khadar village of Bijnor district.

According to reports, at least 15 farmers have committed suicide in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh in July.