Farmer's suicide: Villagers detain officer

KENDRAPARA (Orissa): Demanding adequate compensation to the family of a debt-ridden farmer who allegedly committed suicide, irate farmers in Kendrapara district today detained a senior administrative officer for three hours.

The incident, according to police, took place at Andara village when Pattamundai tehsildar Pabitra Mohan Pradhan went to the farmer's native village to investigate the alleged debt-induced suicidal death.

Villagers squatted on the road leading to the village and put the tehsildar under detention for nearly three hours.

"The administration is insensitive towards the plight of farmers facing imminent threat of crop loss following scanty monsoon rain. A desperate farmer from this village found himself in a situation of not repaying the borrowing and ended his life. The officer came here to give lip service. Not a single pie has reached the bereaved family in form of government help," Baishnav Sahu, a farmer who led the stir, rued.

The angry villagers later released the detained official following the arrival of police.

Earlier yesterday, the debt-ridden tenant farmer Ratnakar Jena (40) had committed suicide in the village by consuming insecticide.

The victim farmer was landless and used to cultivate the field of an agriculture field owner on rent basis.

Agriculture minister Damodar Rout, however, claimed the farmer's suicide had nothing to do with cultivation.

District Collector Dhananjaya Das said that the tehsildar was deputed to investigate the circumstances that prompted the farmer to commit suicide.

"We are waiting for the inquiry report before awarding compensation to the bereaved family," he said.