10 farmers, labourers committed suicide in 2 months in Mansa

Bharat Khanna

Tribune News Service

Mansa, February 21

As many as 10 suicides have been reported from Mansa district in the past one and a half months this year. These include four suicides of farmers and farm labourers in Bajewala village of the district alone.

But the district administration is yet to confirm and rectify these cases as those of suicide following debt burden.

The village had earlier too witnessed a number of suicides but only four families of the victims who committed suicide till 2016 got compensation from the district administration.

On February 20, landless farm labourer Gurjit Singh hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his house. On February 18, farmer Nachattar Singh, who owned seven acres, hanged himself in his field. Landless farm labourer Major Khan (on February 3) and labourer Tara Singh (on January 12) committed suicide at Bajewala village. The Jaurkian police have registered these cases under 174 CrPC.

Major Singh, younger brother of deceased farmer Nachattar Singh, said, “He owed Rs 7 lakh to arhtiyas (commission agents) and Rs 5 lakh to a bank and cooperative society. He was also under pressure to arrange the marriages of his three daughters and two sons. Nachattar lost the cotton crop twice. The arhtiyas and banks had taken him to court and several notices were served to him till December 2016.”

The administration had also received 12 more applications of suicides committed till 2016 from Kotda-kalan, Shekhupur Khudial, Gurthadi-kalan, Khokhar-kalan, Dalelwala, Bhenibagha and other villages.

The Mansa district administration had disbursed Rs 1.63 crore as compensation to families of 56 victims during financial years 1990-2016 after farm debt was confirmed to be the cause behind those.

Chief Agriculture Officer, Mansa, Gurditta Singh Sidhu said, “We are inquiring into the cases of farmer suicides. We take suo motu notice of the news published on farmer suicide in the media. Our team comprising Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Deputy Superintendent of Police and Senior Medical Officer of that division investigate each suicide reported to us through application or through the news published in the media.”