Bargarh/Barpali: A day after a farmer Akrur Bisi (50) tried to end his life by consuming poison before the district collectorate Thursday, another farmer of the same village attempted suicide at Kanbar village under Barpali police limits in Bargarh district Friday.
The victim was identified as Niranjan Bhoi alias Matu (36), son of Sukru Bhoi. Suicide attempts by the two farmers within a span of 24 hours have triggered an outrage in the area. Bhoi was rescued and rushed to Barpali government hospital and later shifted to Burla-based VSS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) as his condition worsened.
The powerful Nor’wester prevailing since a week has caused heavy crop loss in the district, destroying vast acres of standing crops, harvested paddy as well as vegetables kept for sale. Family members claimed Bhoi took the extreme step as he was under stress. Bhoi was the only bread-earner in the family after the death of his father.
Notably, farmers of Kanbar panchayat under Barpali police limits have suffered the worst due to the natural disaster. It has come as a bolt from the blue for the farmers, who earlier suffered crop loss due to brown hopper pest attack in the Kharif season last year.
Irate over governmental negligence to protect farmers from natural disasters and its failure to come up with effective compensation mechanisms by way of insurance schemes, hundreds of farmers from Kanbar panchayat led by political leaders organised a picket outside the collectorate Thursday.
Bhoi, who also participated in the rally, returned home after the incident. He also took the extreme step and consumed pesticides in the farm Friday morning on seeing the destruction in his farm. Barpali tehsildar Debjani Bhuiyan reached the village with a police team and launched a probe into the incident.
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