Bargarh: A young farmer of Chhuriapali village under Sohela block of the district allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree due to crop loss and under debt burden Tuesday evening.
The deceased was identified as Khusiram Pradhan (25), son of Laba Pradhan. He was the sole bread earner of his family.
According to his family, Khusiram lost his balance after he incurred crop loss due to hailstorm. Sohela police registered a case and sent the body to district headquarters hospital here for postmortem. Police seized a suicide note from the spot.
The cause of death would be ascertained after the postmortem report is obtained, said Sohela police station IIC Yashowant Narayani Pradhani.
After completion of intermediate, Khusiram took to farming as he had no other choice.
After years of struggle, he reacquired the family’s five acres of land which had been mortgaged to arrange money for the marriage of his elder sister. He had cultivated paddy, pulses and vegetables on this land. He also worked in the industrial training centre at Sohela at Rs 1500 per month.
His father Laba said, he had taken Rs 69,853 from Gopabandhu farmers’ cooperative society and Rs 55,000 from two private finance companies.
He was hopeful for a good harvest this year. However, his hopes evaporated due to a sudden hailstorm February 27, Laba added.
A team of revenue officials had visited the village to evaluate the crop loss. However, after they left, he plunged into depression, pointed out his father.
Khusiram had gone to his farmland Tuesday to apply fertiliser. As he did not return home, his family made a frantic search for him and found his body hanging from a tree at the end of the village.
They informed police, who recovered the body Wednesday morning.
Police said the suicide note recovered from the spot mentioned about crop loss and poor government aid. Surprisingly, the note also mentioned about formation of a separate Koshal state.
Police are trying to find out whether the note was written by Khusiram or doctored. PNN
