Paikamal, Nov 4: A farmer has stopped taking food and been bed-ridden over a week after he was pushed into distress over crop loss and debt burden at Temri village under this block in Bargarh district.
Clueless on his fate, Jagannath Dani (64) abstained from taking food and water over a week back despite his wife Chanchala Dani (60) and son Kousik Dani (18) insisting on him taking food. He has become weak and is not able to move around on his legs.
On a tip-off, tehsildar Brajabandhu Bhoi rushed to his house with revenue officials and urged him to withdraw from the fast by giving him grape juice to drink. They immediately admitted him to the Padmapur sub-divisional hospital as his condition deteriorated.
The team later admitted to crop loss after taking a round of his paddy field. The incident has come at a time when suicide by farmers has refused to abate with four farmers from this block alone ending lives over the issue.
Sources said Jagannath stays at his in-law’s place at Temri village since his marriage. He ekes out a living by cultivating 5.5 acres of land of his father-in-law. He had cultivated paddy on this land this year by borrowing Rs 30,000 from private money lenders.
He, however, received a setback after his crops wilted due to drought. The crop loss left a deep scar on his mind as he stopped taking food thinking about repaying the loan. All attempts by his wife and son to desist him from taking the suicidal step have gone in vain.
They even called a doctor and had a saline administered to him. He, however, pulled out the pipe and refused to listen to them.
