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Bolangir: Barely a fortnight after a farmer, Nandighosh Barik of Harbhanga village under Agalpur block in this district, committed suicide because of alleged disparaging words used by the local sub-collector, another peasant of Dhusamunda village in Turekela block chose to end his life after being at the receiving end of similar administrative apathy.
Duryodhan Bag, whose wife Ujali Bag had committed suicide by consuming poison four months ago over alleged crop loss, decided to take the drastic step allegedly after being repeatedly harassed by the local BDO and a police official.
Family members alleged Turekela BDO had donated Rs 10,000 and promised to provide a house under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) to Bag during his wife's death. The promise was made in the presence of Turekela police sub-inspector (SI) S L Bhoi.
Since then, the young farmer had been running to the office of the BDO to get government assistance for a pucca house. But he got nothing but contempt and disheartening words from the official, family members alleged.
Harassed over the apathetic attitude of the block official, Bag consumed pesticide on Tuesday evening. He was admitted to the Kantabanji health centre nearby, where he died during treatment.
Bag had grown cotton on five acres and paddy on two acres of land for which he had borrowed a huge amount from private money lenders. He and his wife Ujali were under severe mental stress after standing crops were damaged due to untimely rain. Unable to bear the burden of loans, the lady farmer had ended life by consuming poison on November 1, 2015.
Notably, Nadighosh, a farmer of Harabhanga village, had committed suicide on March 23 after being allegedly harassed by local sub-collector. The issue had rocked the Odisha Assembly recently after the Congress and BJP members demanded summons to be issued against the officer.
