Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, December 1
A 76-year-old farmer, distressed over crop failure, allegedly committed suicide by lighting his own funeral pyre on Friday evening in Vidarbha’s Akola district, the police said here today.
Kashiram Indore, who had one-acre agricultural land, took the extreme step after he lost his ‘tur’ crop to pests, the police said.
Earlier this year, Kashiram Indore had planted soyabean but the crop failed due to poor rainfall and he suffered huge losses.
The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, which is championing the cause of farmers in the region, said 42 farmers had committed suicide in the past 50 days across six districts in the region.
No suicide note was found. The police have registered a case of accidental death.
The Maharashtra Government has declared 7,000 villages in Vidarbha to be drought-affected and sought assistance from the Centre to provide relief to the affected farmers.