Three more farmers commit suicide in Madhya Pradesh

Three farmers allegedly committed suicide in Madhya Pradesh in the last two days, prompting the opposition Congress to claim that the number has crossed 50 since an agrarian unrest hit the state last month.
Laxman Singh, 50 consumed some poisonous substance at his village Dorabada in Mandsaur district yesterday and died, said Narayangarh police station in-charge B L Borasi.
Mandsaur was the epicentre of farmers' protest which rocked western parts of Madhya Pradesh last month.
Borasi said Singh apparently committed suicide as he was finding it difficult to repay his loans to private money- lenders.
"Family members said he had repaid an interest of Rs 30 lakh against the sum of Rs 14.60 lakh borrowed from private lenders, and was under pressure to pay off the principal amount. The exact reason of death would be known only after probe," Borasi said.

In the economically backward Bundelkhand region, two farmer suicides were reported from Sagar and Tikamgarh districts on Saturday evening.

Premlal Ahirwar, 23, a resident of Semraghat village in Sagar district, allegedly jumped in front of a running train between Silodha and Khurai railway stations, Khurai police station in-charge Jagdish Bhagat said.
"He had mortgaged his 2.5 acres land with a local moneylender. The lender was allegedly pressing Ahirwar to transfer the land in his name," Bhagat said.
In Tikamgarh, 42-year-old Dharam Singh hanged himself in his field at village Dhana, Sub-Inspector Mansharam Bagen of Mohangarh police station said.
According to his family, he was worried about repayment of a loan, Bagen said.

Since June 8, farmers' suicides have been reported from Sehore, Hoshangabad, Raisen, Dhar, Neemuch, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Narsinghpur, Sehore, Tikamgarh and Vidisha districts.
Western Madhya Pradesh witnessed a major farmers' agitation for loan waiver and remunerative prices in the first fortnight of June.
The Congress claimed that over 50 farmer suicides had taken place over the last one month.
"Over 50 farmers have ended their lives since June 7. Farmers are in a dejected mood and killing themselves after the police firing which left five dead and six injured in Mandsaur on June 6," state Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said.