Furore as Maharashtra farmer who consumed poison in Mantralaya dies

There was a furore in Maharashtra political circles on Monday after an 84-year-old farmer who had consumed poison at Mantralaya -- the state government headquarters -- died late on Sunday.

The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party attacked the government, terming it "not a suicide, but a murder" by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine, even as senior ministers scurried around to control the damage.

On January 22, the farmer from Dhule, Dharma Patil, came to the Mantralaya seeking enhanced compensation for his land that was acquired by the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company for a solar power project and even demanded to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

However, he had suddenly collapsed and was rushed to St. George Hospital and was later shifted to Sir J.J. Hospital.

En route, Patil told his son that he had consumed rat poison. Later his condition became critical and he was put on dialysis, but succumbed late on Sunday.

Earlier on Monday, his son Narendra Patil refused to take his father's body after the autopsy unless a written assurance of additional value for the land was given by the state government.

Following the political fracas, the state government issued a letter to Narendra Patil, stating that all the demands would be considered, after which the family accepted Patil's body and took it to Dhule for the last rites.

Power Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule told journalists on Monday that the District Collector has been ordered to review the compensation package on 199 hectares of land and if the (Patil) family has been deprived of adequate compensation, they would be compensated along with interest.

Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan said "this is Patil's murder" for which the government is responsible and he should be given justice.

"He sought compensation for his land which was acquired at a throwaway price of around Rs 400,000, while others in the neighbourhood were compensated in crores of rupees. He was totally crestfallen and wanted justice but the government ignored him, leaving him with no options," Chavan said in a stinging attack.

Leader of Opposition (NCP) in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde said Patil's death is the result of the "cruelty by the government" and the ruling BJP-Sena cannot give justice to the farmers.

Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said he was "deeply pained by the death of the 84-year-old farmer" who fought against the insensitive and apathetic government.

"Messed up loan waiver, non-remunerative farm prices and cruel land acquisition with unfair compensation has ended another precious life," Chavan said, demanding a judicial probe into the matter.

"For whom is this government really working? If you cannot work in the interests of the people, you have no right to continue in power," said senior NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, assuring the victim's son of support in his quest for justice.

Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader and MP Raju Shetty said the state government and its rehabilitation department is solely responsible for Patil's death.

"The officials should be booked under the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Since there were no middlemen involved, he was given a compensation of only Rs 4 lakh," Shetti said.

A rift appeared in the ruling ally Shiv Sena with party MP Sanjay Raut demanding murder charges against the officials, but party spokesperson Neelam Gorhe blamed the erstwhile Congress-NCP government in the matter.

Attempting to pin the blame on the previous government, Bawankule claimed that the lands belonging to Patil and other farmers were surveyed for compensation between 2009-2015.

--IANS

qn/him/vm