Mysuru, 24 June

Two debt-ridden farmers died by suicide over crop loss as they were unable to clear mounting debt in Mysuru district on Wednesday.

In the first case, a 40-year-old farmer, Praveen, died by suicide by hanging himself from a neem tree at his agricultural field at Bettahalli village in Saligrama taluk.

Saligrama police said that Praveen fell into depression after the tobacco price crash recently. He had taken out crop loans from private banks in addition to a hand loan of Rs 13 lakh. However, unable to clear the mounting debt and amid the increasing pressure from the money lenders, he took the extreme step, according to a complaint lodged by the deceased’s brother Pradeep.

In another case, 51-year-old  Swamygowda died by suicide after hanging himself at his residence at Kottavallikoppallu in Periapatna taluk.

He too was a tobacco farmer and had borrowed and taken loans totalling Rs 20 lakh, including Rs 5 lakh from the local Grameena Bank and another Rs 5 lakh to purchase a tractor. But the crop loss and price crash likely led him to the extreme step, police said.

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