Farmer commits suicide after hailstorm destroys wheat crop

A 40-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide today at his farm in Nanded district due to the loss of his wheat crop in the recent hailstorms, police said.
Ramesh Shete, who had served as a councillor of the Loha Municipal Council, owed Rs 35,000 to a nationalised bank and ended his life by consuming posion, officials said.
Shete had planted wheat on his 4-acre farm which was destroyed during the hailstorm, police said, adding that it was the third consecutive year that Shete was facing farm reverses.
Shete's elder brother spotted him in the farm at 11 am today following which he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

He is survived by a daughter and a son. The daughter, officials said, appeared for her school exams despite the death of her father.
Officials added that Loha tehsil in the state's Marathwada region had been facing farm distress for several years now.