2 Debt-Ridden Farmers Commit Suicide In Marathwada

Two debt-ridden farmers ended life in the last 48 hours in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, officials said.

Balasaheb Nivrutti Raner (32), resident of Babhulgaon in Pathri tehsil of Parbhani district, hanged himself at his house on the afternoon of October 23, local police said.

Mr Raner was distressed as he hadn't repaid a bank loan, and crops had failed for three years in a row. He was alone at home when he committed suicide. His parents and two brothers were in the fields.

Mr Raner had a post-graduate degree in arts and also completed Bachelor of Education (BEd), but could not find a suitable job, a police official said.

He had borrowed Rs. 1,72,543 from Bank of Maharashtra and Rs. 5,000 of Parbhani District Co-operative Bank. "Before committing suicide Mr Raner had spoken to his mother about his frustration. He had also stopped eating his meals," said police sub-inspector Awez Kazi, the investigating officer.

"During the preliminary investigation we found that he ended his life due to his inability to repay the bank loan and frustration over repeated crop failure," Mr Kazi said.

The police would write to the local tehsil office to find out if he was on the list of beneficiaries of the state government's loan waiver scheme, the officer said.

In the second incident, Khanderao Sambhaji Pawar (32), resident of Kankadi in Nanded district, hanged himself from a tree on his farm last night, police said. The incident came to light today morning.

Mr Pawar owed Rs. 45,000 to a bank and was apparently depressed as he could not repay the amount. Nanded Rural Police are probing the case.

Implementation of the Maharashtra government's loan waiver scheme has begun on October 18.