Odisha government orders probe as farmer commits suicide in Bargarh

BHUBANESWAR/SAMBALPUR: A day after setting his pest-affected crops on fire, Brunda Sahu (55) of village Kalapani in Bargarh district ended his life by allegedly consuming poison in his paddy field on Wednesday.
According to reports, Brunda was found lying in critical condition in a farm land, located near the land that was burnt by him a day ago. He was rushed to the Bargarh district headquarters hospital where doctors declared him dead.Brunda, according to villagers, was a share cropper and he had taken 14 acres of land on lease for cultivation.
Agriculture minister Damodar Rout, who held a high level meeting at the secretariat following the incident, ordered a probe into the matter. He directed the district administration to submit a report as soon as possible.
“Whatever the cause may be, death of farmers hurts me personally. After the news broke, I spoke to the Bargarh district collector to inquire into the incident in details. Without investigation, it would be not proper to cite any reason behind death of the farmer,” Damodar told reporters after the meeting.
Despite reports of hundreds of farmer suicide in past years, the state government has so far not accepted a single case of farmer suicide due to agrarian stress.
The state government has also directed eight district collectors—Bargarh, Balangir, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Koraput, Nuapada, Sambalpur and Sonepur—to conduct field verifications to ascertain the crop loss due to pest attack. The collectors have been instructed to submit a report within next 48 hours.
“Once we would receive the report, we would hold another meeting to discuss about the compensation. Even though the state government has already announced package for drought-hit farmers, the chief minister has assured to compensate the farmers for pest-attack according to relief code,” Damodar said.
Subash, son of the deceased alleged that his father was under severe mental trauma because of the crop loss due to pest attack. “My father had taken loan of more than Rs 3 lakh for cultivation. After the crop damaged due to pest attack, he was under tremendous pressure. In the morning, he did not tell anything and took the extreme step,” he said.
Death of the farmer caused severe resentment among people in the locality as the enraged villagers blocked the NH-6 at Kalapani, keeping the body of Brunda Sahu on the road, demanding compensation. Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on either side of the road because of the blockade.
Bargarh district collector Khagendra Padhi and superintendent of police B Jugal Kishore are on spot to discuss with the agitators. The road blockade was continuing till the last report came in.
Scores of politicians including congress leader and former chief minister Hemanada Biswal, Bargarh MLA Debesh Acharya, BJP state vice president Aswini Sarangi visited the hospital after Brunda was brought to the hospital.
“I along with the Tahasildar and other field level officers had gone to the village and met Brunda yesterday after we came to know that he had burnt the standing crop. But I am yet to understand what prompted the suicide,” Debesh said.
After Bargarh, a farmer of Jharipali village in Sambalpur district also burnt his standing crop affected due to pest attack on Wednesday.