Another young farmer commits suicide

OST Bureau

Ghens, Jan 17:

Crushed under the twin burdens of a crop loss and mounting loan, a young farmer committed suicide by consuming poison on Wednesday.

The farmer, Khitish Bhoi (38) belonged to Melchamunda village.

The failure of the administration to conduct a probe into Khitish’s death till Thursday evening has led to public anguish in the area. Khitish, villagers say, led a happy life in his village Melchamunda with his family of father, mother, wife and two children. Out of his family’s ten acres of land Khitish had cultivated paddy in eight acres and had grown cotton in two acres. Khitish had taken loan amounting to Rs 1.27 lakh from the Melchamunda Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) for farming purpose. He had also borrowed another Rs50,000 to Rs 60,000 as hand loans from his relatives, said family sources.

Family sources said Khitish was mentally disturbed since his crops, both paddy and cotton, suffered extensive damage due to cyclone Phailin. He got a paltry Rs 32,000 from selling his paddy in the market yard. To add to his woes, the Melchamunda PACS served him a notice to repay his loans, following which he was mentally shattered, they added.

A disturbed Khitish drank poison on Tuesday evening to end his life. After being rescued by his family members, he was admitted to the Government Hospital in Burla where he succumbed to the poison on Wednesday.

Khitish’s father, Jayadev Bhoi alleged that his son had committed suicide because of crop loss and the burden of loans.