Three suicides not linked to crop failure: Bengal

The West Bengal government on Saturday said the deaths of three people reported in media as "farmer suicides" in the state had "no connection with crop failure but health and family problems".

"...news stories have been published in the print and carried by the visual media with regard to alleged farmer suicides in Burdwan district due to crop failure owing to lack of rain and irrigation water.

"An urgent inquiry was ordered by deputy director (agriculture) on these alleged farmer suicides. The inquiry shows that all three alleged farmer suicides were owing to health and family problems and had no relation whatsoever with crop failure," Burdwan district magistate Saumtira Mohan said in an official statement.

According to the inquiry report, famers Kalipada Majhi and Ek Kari Roy - both from Bhatar block - had cultivated kharif paddy on well irrigated land and the standing crop was in good condition, Mohan claimed.

"The report notes that Majhi may have been driven to suicide due to severe gastric problems. As regards Roy, the report states that he may have committed suicide owing to his long illness and family problems," he said.

Mohan said Prabir Majhi from Galsi-II block, whose death too was reported as "farmer suicide", could not be considered a farmer as he owned no land, nor was he a sharecropper.

"He was a hired labourer and his death was also found to be due to family problems. None of the three had availed of any Kisan Credit Card loan," he added.