Kendrapara: Days after a farmer allegedly died after being harassed by rice miller over paddy procurement in Odisha's Kendrapara district, his widow has appealed the administration for justice. 

As per reports, Trilochan Nayak, a resident of Junagadi village under Rajnagar block of Kendrapara district had allegedly been under severe distress after facing harassment while trying to sell his paddy. His wife, Bharati Nayak has accused a local miller and the secretary of the Dangamal Cooperative Society of subjecting her husband to mental harassment, which she claims led to his death. She has now submitted a written complaint to the Rajnagar Tehsildar in this regard. 

Following the complaint, the Tehsildar visited the bereaved family. During the visit, an emotional Bharati Nayak reportedly held the official’s feet, demanding strict action against those she believes were responsible for her husband’s plight.

Acting on the direction of the District Collector, a special investigation team has been constituted to probe the matter. Officials stated that the inquiry will be conducted based on receipts issued by the miller, and CCTV footage related to the procurement process will also be examined.

According to family members, Trilochan had received a message on January 16 to sell his paddy at the mandi. However, he reportedly ran from pillar to post for nearly 40 days, repeatedly visiting the cooperative society to complete the process. Instead of procuring the crop at the mandi, he was asked to take his paddy to a rice mill. Trilochan transported his produce to the rice mill, where he allegedly had to wait for three days without proper food or water to get it unloaded.

Miller's harassment added to debt distress: Kin

As per the allegations, miller deducted six kilograms of paddy per quintal and additionally took three quintals of paddy from the produce. They also claimed that Rs 3,000 was collected towards unloading charges. In total, Trilochan had reportedly spent nearly Rs 18,000 on harvesting and transporting his crop to the procurement centre. Already struggling under mounting debt, Trilochan is said to have collapsed shortly after returning home from the mill. He reportedly suffered a heart attack and died on the spot. Following the incident, his kin blamed the rice mill owner and the secretary of the cooperative society for negligence and harassment, holding them responsible for his death.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised over why the cooperative society secretary allegedly delayed purchasing Trilochan Nayak’s paddy for nearly 40 days before sending it to the mill. Kendrapara Collector has ordered for an inquiry into the matter ad assured that all aspects of the case will be thoroughly examined and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings.

Also read: Farmer dies after being harassed by rice miller over paddy procurement in Odisha's Kendrapara