Kapurthala farmer attempts suicide, had lost crop on 16 acres

A 25-year-old debt-ridden farmer from Ahli Kalan village in Sultanpur Lodhi’s flood-hit Mand area has allegedly attempted suicide.

According to farmer Arshdeep Singh’s family , he was depressed after the floods destroyed their paddy crop on 16 acres. Arshdeep is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital after he took the step on September 10.

His family members said Arshdeep consumed poison but didn’t know from where he procured it. Arshdeep’s family owns 10 acres and had taken additional 6 acres for cultivation on lease. The annual rent per acre is generally up to Rs 60,000 in the Mand area located close to the Beas riverbank. Arshdeep’s mother Ranjit Kaur said he had stopped eating and speaking. “I had asked some relatives to talk to him. He confided in them that he was worried as to how they would repay the loan,” she said.

She could not tell about the exact loan amount but said it ran into lakhs of rupees. “We kept telling him that many farmers have suffered the same way and that things would get better. But he took it to heart,” she added.

Another village farmer, Saminder Singh, said Arshdeep’s family had suffered the same fate during the 2023 floods. “But, this time, the farmer couldn’t bear it. He is stated out of danger,” he said. — TNS