Another MP farmer kills himself : Toll 43

Suicide

The spate of farmer suicides in Madhya Pradesh continues unabated. A debt-ridden farmer on Sunday killed himself by jumping in front of a train in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district, taking the number of farmer deaths to 43 in 28 days. Tekram Kurmi, 48, was the owner of six acres of land in Pipariya village under the limits of Garhakota police station. Tekram owed money to the bank and moneylenders besides his crop was also ruined, his family said.

Tekram went for a walk on Sunday morning, after which his family was informed that he killed himself by jumping in front of a train near Girwar railway station. R.N. Tiwari, the officer in-charge of Garhakota police station, confirmed that the farmer committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. He, however, said the reason behind the suicide was not yet known.

He said the Government Railway Police (GRP) is investigating the case. Earlier, on July 5, three farmers committed suicide. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh has categorically ruled out waiving of farmers' loans. Farmers in Madhya Pradesh had launched a protest last month demanding better prices for their produce and debt relief.

On June 6, five protesting farmers were killed in police firing in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district, while one injured farmer died later. Though the protest was called off following the government's intervention, farmers have been ending their lives over debt and other problems. To pay tribute to the farmers killed in Mandsaur, farmers' leaders began the 'Kisan Mukti Yatra' on July 6 with the assistance of social institutions. The Yatra will pass through six states and reach Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 18 where the farmers' leaders will speak on the "anti-farmer policies" of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.