Two more farmers commit suicide in Odisha

Dhenkanal/ Dharmagarh: Cases of farmer suicides continue unabated in Odisha as two more farmers ended their lives late on Monday night due to crop loss and unable to repay debt.

Panaka Purti of Hatisingeda village in Kamakhyanagar took the extreme step by hanging himself while Kunja Hansa of Baijalpur under Golamunda block in Kalahandi district followed the similar path to end his life due to crop failure and loan burden.

The peasants took the extreme step by hanging themselves as they were suffering from severe mental stress, family members of the deceased alleged.

Kunj had taken Rs 50,000 from local SBI and repaid Rs 10,000. Bank officials repeatedly put pressure on him to repay the remaining amount, family members said. Unable to bear the burden, he took the drastic step, they added.

It’s worthwhile to mention here that, three peasants of Cuttack, Nayagarh and Bargarh districts had ended lives on Monday due to alleged crop failure and heavy loan burden.

Shankar Behera of Athagarh in Cuttack, Laxmikant Bhatt of Raipada village in Nayagarh and Thikadar Sahu of Sohela in Bargarh district took the drastic steps by consuming poison over apparent crop loss and debt burden.