Bengaluru: Farmers continued to kill themselves in various parts of Karnataka with three of them committing suicide in different taluks of Hassan on Monday. While, two farmers consumed poison, another hanged himself at his house. As many as seven farmers committed suicide in the state on the day.
Keshava Murthy (47), resident of Hennur Kengolale village in Araklagud taluk, Hassan died on Tuesday after he consumed poison three days ago. Murthy was under pressure to repay Rs 3 lakh in loans which he had borrowed from Kaveri Grammena Bank. Since, his tobacco crop failed, he was under pressure to repay the loans.
At Channarayapatna, farmer Shavli Gowda (60) drank poison to end his life at his house at Doddaheri village. Gowda had availed Rs 1 lakh loan from Kaveri Gramemna Bank and was unable to repay it.
At Belur in Hassan, Jagadeesh Nayak (32) hanged himself unable to repay loans which he had borrowed from a bank and private moneylenders. A debt-ridden farmer committed suicide by hanging at his house in Thimmanahatti village in Sira taluk of Tumakuru district Monday morning.
The deceased, 34-year-old Balakrishnaiah, had taken a loan of Rs 2.5 lakh from Brahmavara Cauvery Grameena Bank and Rs 1.30 lakh from Kalpataru Grameena Bank. With his death, the number of farmer suicides in Tumakuru has touched 12.
Two debt-ridden farmers ended their lives in Haveri and Uttar Kannada districts on Monday. Thirty-two-year-old Girish Baller of Medur village in Hirekerur consumed poison in his field.
He had taken Rs 2 lakh from Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank, Rs 3 lakh from co-operative societies and moneylenders. He could not to repay the loan due to a poor price for his maize crop.
In another case, forty-year-old farmer Fakkirappa Sirageri of Ganeshpura in Mundagod taluk committed suicide by setting himself on fire. He had taken Rs 2.3 lakh loan from Syndicate Bank and private moneylenders but failed to get a proper paddy yield due to pest attacks.
In Davangere, unable to repay his loan, a debt-ridden farmer attempted suicide using kerosene to burn himself at Hadadi village Monday morning.
Deve Gowda begins hunger strike in Delhi on farmers’ suicide
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda today began a hunger strike here demanding discussion in parliament on the farmers' suicide in the country. Flanked by party MPs, MLAs, and Samajwadi Party supporters at Jantar Mantar here, the JD(S) leader said that his hunger strike will continue till a discussion takes place on the issue of farmers'
suicide in Parliament.
Asked about Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh's reply in Parliament on farmers' suicide, he said it was the worst statement made by the Agriculture Minister. "It is one of the worst statements made by the Agriculture Minister. I am so sorry, how Prime Minister Narendra Modi tolerated this type of statement," Gowda said. Stressing that it is the beginning of a struggle, he expressed concern over the death of thousands of farmers in the country.
"In particular, 16 farmers are committing suicide in Karnataka everyday. Even today nine farmers died," Gowda said.
