Gujarat: 40-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide fearing crop loss

A 40-year-old farmer from Gujarat allegedly committed suicide Sunday night by hanging himself in Botad district apparently over the fear of losing his crop in view of weak monsoon, the police said Monday. Relatives of the deceased Kalu Chauhan told police that he was also worried over upcoming marriage of his daughter, a police official said. Chauhan was a resident of Gundala village in the district, over 150 kms away from here.

The farmer allegedly hanged himself by using rope in a small room at the farm of one Ramesh Chavda who had rented his 40 bigha land to the deceased for sowing cotton, he said. "Chauhan's relatives told police that he was afraid of losing his crop due to weak monsoon," Gadhada police station sub-inspector Vimal Dhorda said, adding that the deceased also owned a small tract of land.

The police officer said they are investigating the case from various angles because, as per investigation, Chauhan had not shared his apprehension over crop loss with anybody before taking the extreme step. "His relatives claimed that Chauhan committed suicide fearing that he would incur a huge loss due to crop failure. However, since Chauhan never shared such feelings with anyone before hanging himself, we are investigating this case from all angles. He was a seasoned farmer and never told anyone that he was under any stress," the officer added.

Chauhan's brother Haresh told reporters that the deceased was tense due to weak monsoon. "My brother feared that his crop will not survive due to weak monsoon, as we do not have any source of irrigation. He was also worried because of the upcoming marriage of his daughter. These are the reasons behind his suicide," claimed Haresh. Last month, a farmer from Amreli district had allegedly committed suicide over crop loss. As per the latest figures released by the state government, Gujarat is staring at water scarcity as it had received just 76.71 per cent of average rainfall this monsoon.

(With inputs from agencies.)