Two farmers committed suicide in Nashik district in separate incidents, due to depression over the grim agricultural outlook and their inability to pay back loans.
In the first incident, 28-year-old Shyamkant Devram Thakre killed himself in Rahud village of Baglan district. The police said Thakre hung himself from a tree on Nampur-Sakri road on Tuesday evening. The body was seen by a motorcycle rider, who informed the village.
Family sources said Thakre had taken bank loans to start a poultry farm and to buy a tractor. However, the monsoon failed and the crops he had sowed died. He had been in depression for many days over his inability to repay the loans and the failure of the crops, the police said. Thakre had married two years ago and has a six-month-old son.
An autopsy of the body was conducted at Nampur rural hospital, after which it was handed over to his family. A case of suicide has been registered with the Jaikheda police station.
In the second incident, Ramdas Kashinath Devre (48) hung himself in his house in Budhate village of Baglan tehsil. He was rushed to the rural hospital, but was announced dead on arrival. Devre had conducted the marriage of his daughter about six months ago and had taken a loan for the wedding, police said. He had also planted onion seedlings, which are usually in demand among onion farmers, but they had dried due to drought.
In a recent similar incident, farmer Deepak Motiram Nikam (41) had committed suicide in Kalwan tehsil town of Nashik district. Nikam, who had taken loans from cooperative societies and credit societies in Kalwan, could not make ends meet with the income from his 1.5-acre farm and was reportedly depressed. He then consumed poison and committed suicide, police said.
