Bihar CM orders prompt action in farmer "suicide" case

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has taken note of reports of a farmer's suicide in Bhojpur district and issued instructions for "prompt action" in the matter, an official release said here today.

Dashrath Bind, a 55-year-old farmer, was found hanging from the branch of a tree at his village in the early hours of yesterday.

An ultra-left outfit claimed that debts and crop loss prompted him to end his life.

Bhojpur Superintendent of Police Avakash Kumar, however, said "nothing could be said with certainty" as of now as Bind's post-mortem report is "still awaited".

"Our officials, who visited the village and met the deceased farmer's family members, did not find much substance in the claims that he was debt-ridden or suffered crop losses in hailstorm," he told PTI over phone.

The CM has expressed grief over the reported suicide and directed the principal secretaries of agriculture and disaster management departments to look into the case at the earliest, the release said.

"Acting upon the Chief Minister's instructions, the District Magistrate of Bhojpur has constituted a team of officials, headed by the Deputy Development Commissioner. The team will visit the spot and conduct a thorough investigation," it said.

Based on the investigation report, help would be provided to farmers affected by agricultural distress under a state government's scheme, the release added.

CPI(ML) MLA Sudama Prasad, who toured the village yesterday, along with members of other Left parties, said Bind earned his living through share-cropping.

"He (Bind) had recently purchased three mango orchards by taking a loan of Rs 2 lakh. The hailstorm destroyed his crops badly and drove him to take the extreme step," Prasad said in another release that was issued yesterday.

The MLA demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased farmer's family, government job for one of Bind's kin, accommodation under the Indira Awas Yojana scheme and compensation for all share-croppers who had suffered losses.