None of us knew that the routine day on April 16 would end like this…No one who knew Yudhvir had ever thought that he would take such an extreme step,” this is how Jagbir Singh, describes the death of his brother and a debt-ridden farmer Yudvir, son of late Ram Singh from Riwada village in Gohana tehsil of Haryana’s Sonipat district.
“Yudhvir (40) spent most of his last days racked with pain. His total debt amounted to Rs3-4 lakh and he was depressed and spoke of intense hopelessness in the last days…He consumed poison on April 16 and died on the intervening night of April 16-17, leaving behind his wife and three children including a toddler boy and two teenage girls,” Jagbir, a former BSF jawan, told The Pioneer.
The story of debt-ridden Yudhvir is all too similar to many other farmers in the agrarian State of Haryana, which faced agrarian crisis due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm in the past two months. The issue of farmers’ suicides, even though alarming have been overlooked by the BJP led Haryana Government so far. From Chief Minister to Cabinet Ministers, the State leaders have either parried questions or made insensitive comments on the issue of sudden spurt in the number of farmers’ suicides, instead of acknowledging the severity of the situation.
Jagbir said, “Yudhvir owned two acres of land and had taken another six acres land on rent. He faced huge losses due to crop damage after recent rains and hailstorm. No one from district administration has come forward to help his family. We are helpless and hope that the Government will help us,” added Jagbir, who himself is physically challenged and is now looking after the family of his brother Yudhvir.
Another debt-ridden farmer Ramesh Singh (25), from Dhani Biran village in Tosham block of Bhiwani district met the same fate as Yudhvir. “Ramesh owned more than Rs2 lakh to a bank and was really depressed as major of his field spreading over seven acres was hit by rain and hailstorm. Ramesh died after consuming poison on April 26 while he was on his way to sell off wheat at Tosham grain market,” said Rann Singh, uncle of deceased Ramesh.
“Ramesh left behind his ailing mother, one sister and a brother. The family now awaits help from the Government,” Rann Singh told The Pioneer. The reports of the debt-trapped farmers ending their lives continue to pour in from various parts of Haryana every day, belying State Government’s assurance to provide quick succor to affected farmers in the state.
While the Haryana Government deny such spurt in suicide cases of farmers this year, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ambawata) faction has claimed that more than 40 farmers have died by either committing suicide or of cardiac arrest after facing huge losses in past two months. Talking to The Pioneer, Haryana BKU (A) chief Shamsher Singh Dahiya claimed that more than 40 farmers have died in the State.
“It is unfortunate that instead of helping families of such farmers, a State Minister is calling them coward and criminal,” said Shamsher reacting on the statement of Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar who had stated that farmers who commit suicide are cowards and criminals”. The Bhartiya Kisan Union (A) had recently appealed to the farmers to go on one year ‘Kheti Awkash’ (self-imposed moratorium on cultivation) to build pressure on Centre and State Government to take welfare measures for the farmers.
BKU had asked the farmers to engage in cultivation only for their families and not for the nation for next year, if the Government fails to provide adequate relief to them. According to National Crime Record Bureau, Haryana registered 374 farmers suicide in 2013, against 83 in neighbouring Punjab. Due to incessant and untimely rainfall and hailstorm in Haryana in the month of February, March and April, the farmers had to face crop damage during the ongoing Rabi Marketing season. According to the State Government special assessment report, crop damage was caused on 13.25 lakh acres of land in 21 districts of the State.
Out of which 26 to 50 per cent damage was caused on 8.24 lakh acres of land, 51 to 75 per cent damage was caused on 1.92 lakh acres of land and 76 to 100 per cent damage was caused on 3.17 lakh acres of land. The maximum damage was caused in district Palwal where crops were damaged on a total area of 2, 58, 584 acres followed by district Mahendergarh where damage was caused on 2, 46, 078 acres of land and damage in district Hisar was on 1, 31, 157 acres of land.
Gurnam Singh Chaduni, Haryana unit chief of another faction of Bhartiya Kisan Union has demanded Rs10 lakh compensation for the families of farmers who have died following the huge crop damage this season. Alleging that the Haryana Government has failed to provide much needed succor to the affected farmers, Chaduni said that the BJP Government is busy in making insensitive statements instead of provide compensation to the affected farmers and their families.
“We will launch a Statewide protest against BJP Government, if they fail to take necessary measures for the welfare of the farmers in the State,” he added. Notably, the State Government had announced to provide relief of about Rs2,000 crore to compensate the farmers which include Rs1,092 crore for the loss of their crop due to rains and hailstorm this year and Rs500 crore for sugarcane growers besides waiving off their tubewell electricity bills and rescheduling of their short term loans.