Two farmers commit suicide in Gujarat owing to mounting debts

Two farmers ended their lives in Gujarat in the last four days owing to mounting debts and crop failure due to a weak monsoon, taking the number of such suicides in the last two months to eight, police said Friday.

While 31-year-old Viram Khunti, a resident of Nagadia village of Devbhoomi-Dwarka district, died at a hospital in Junagadh on November 12, Hira Parmar (45) allegedly committed suicide at his house in Nagadka village in Surendranagar district Friday, police said.

Junagadh district police said Khunti was hospitalised on November 10 after he consumed pesticide at his village in Kalyanpur tehsil of Devbhoomi Dwarka district. While the Kalyanpur police yet register a case as they are waiting for medical reports, Khunti's relatives told the media that he was under a huge debt and saw no hope of being able to repay it as the monsoon failed this year.

"He was under huge debt following his father's hospitalisation. In addition, this year was weak in terms of rains. Under stress, he consumed pesticide," said one of his relatives. Hira Parmar (45) of Surendranagar district hanged himself at his house in Nagadka village Friday morning, police said.

"Primary investigation has revealed that he was facing a cash crunch," said police inspector Deepak Dhol. Parmar's relative Jaga Makwana said he was distressed due to a crop loss. "He was under a huge debt. He also lost his crop due to a poor monsoon this season. It led him to end his life," Makwana told reporters. A total of eight farmers have committed suicide in different parts of Gujarat in the last two months due to crop failure or mounting debts. The state received only 76.72 per cent of average rainfall this monsoon. Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda sought Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's resignation over farmer suicides. "BJP government came to power with the blessings and votes of farmers. If the CM and his government can't protect them, they do not have any right to rule," he said.

(With inputs from agencies.)