Bhopal: A farmer named Ramesh Bisen of Ballpur village in Balaghat district, on Wednesday committed suicide by consuming pesticides after being unable to pay a Rs 2 lakh farm loan borrowed from a local society. Late on Tuesday evening, another farmer, Shomla, 60, had allegedly committed suicide by drinking pesticide at Pisnawal in Barwani district.
This takes the number of farmer suicides reported in the state since June 8 to seven. The reports come in the wake of a slew of measures announced by the state government to mollify agitating farmers and death of six protesters in police firing in Mandsaur district on June 6.
In order to show his support to the farmers’ cause, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday met the family members of the slain cultivators in their villages.
Mr Chouhan visited the villages of Badban, Lodha, Pipliya Mandi and Nayakheda in Mandsaur district to offer condolences to the kin of the slain farmers hailing from these areas. He also handed over documents to them showing that a compensation of '1 crore has been transferred to the bank accounts of the kin of each farmer killed in police firing.
“We have demanded that those responsible for death of our family members must be brought to book and dismissed from service,” the kin of the farmers said.
The Opposition was also keen on showing solidarity to the farmers. Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and others launched 72-hour satyagarh here in protest against the killing of six farmers by the police.
