NHRC notice to TS on ryots’ suicides

• Media reported on 76 deaths since TS formation
• Commission takes suo moto notice of the report
• Chief Secretary asked to respond in two weeks

Hyderabad: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the Telangana government over the spate of suicides committed by debt-ridden farmers since the Telangana state was formed.

In the notice to the State Chief Secretary, Rajiv Sarma, the Commission demanded a report within two weeks. It took suo moto cognizance of a media report that 76 farmers committed suicides in the last five months after the state divided. The Commission also observed that the contents of the press report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the farmers.

NHRC stated that “reportedly, thousands of farmers are caught in a vicious cycle of debts due to low yields or total crop failure and there was constant pressure from moneylenders and when it does not rain and crops start failing, all they can think of is escaping it by taking their own lives.”

It may be mentioned here that the delay in the implementation of the loan waiver scheme announced by the government and water and power crisis in the just concluded Khariff season is forcing the farmers to take the extreme step. Small and marginal farmers who have failed to get fresh loans due to non-payment of previous loans are in a complete disarray. Their pleas to the government to come to their rescue have been in vain.

Congress and TDP leaders recently visited the bereaved families. They demanded that the government immediately waive all types of loans availed of by the farmers, including gold loans, in the State.