Dist administration denies farmers death due to crop failure

Amidst reports of alleged suicide by farmers in Burdwan, the district administration today said the death of three persons had no relation with crop failure but was due to ill health and family problems.
Burdwn district magistrate Soumitra Mohan in a statement said "Over the past two days news stories were published with regard to alleged farmer suicide in Burdwan district due to crop failure owing to lack of rain and irrigation water.
"An urgent inquiry was conducted by the deputy director (agriculture) on these alleged farmer suicides. The inquiry showed that all three deaths were due to health and family problems and had no relation whatsoever to crop failure," he said.

Quoting the inquiry report, the DM said two of the farmers who had allegedly committed suicide had well-irrigated land where they had cultivated kharif paddy and the standing crop condition was found to be good.
He said another person whose death was reported as a farmer suicide had no land of his own, nor was he a share cropper. He was only a hired labour, the DM added.