Stressing on the need to find out the real cause of repeated cases of farmer’s suicide in the State, Psychological experts believe that psychological wave might also be a factor behind it which needs to be taken seriously to check further such incidents.
“Generally people are motivated towards committing suicide when they fail to withstand the pain of not getting a thing desired by him or his planning gets futile. But sometimes there is also a wave when a person identifies or correlates himself with a person who has committed suicide and the chain continues which was witnessed recently in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra,” said Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS) Director Dr Subhash Soren. It is a serious matter which must be addressed in a more holistic manner as Governments generally focus on emergency measures rather than focusing on preventive ones, he added.
“Minds with weak problem solving mechanism and anlysing capacity generally correlated themselves with the farmers committing suicide and gets intended towards it resulting into further suicides,” Soren said.
Another farmer under distress ended his life by hanging himself from a tree in the jungle in Karamba village under Burmu Police Station in Ranchi on July 18 allegedly for not being able to clear the loan taken by his relatives. This was the sixth incident of farmer suicide in the state in just over a month’s time. The administration however, has denied any financial reasons behind the alleged suicide cases.
Morality and conscience should be the part of civilization and not luxury, which has become a common trend, he said. “People’s aspirations these days are several times more than their capacities and are sometimes unachievable also. When they are not able to get it they feel themselves worthless which further leads to such impulses,” said Soren.
Another psychological expert said that the media hype and the financial assistance provided by the Government to the family members of the person committing suicide also motivate others to take such extreme steps.
“Sometimes it is also done by the poor with an intention to provide financial benefits to their family after their deaths which they would not be able to do in their lives. Hence, there is a need to give media coverage to such incidents in a more cautious way, highlighting more the negative side of the story,” said RINPAS Professor Amol Ranjan. It is a wave which might spread further if not addressed properly, he added.
Moreover, the farmers must also be educated properly by the Bank officials before providing them loans about the process of repaying them. ‘It has been noticed that such incidents occur after notices are issued or after being pressurized by the bank officials to repay the loan taken by them, hence there also a need to make farmers aware properly giving them other alternatives before creating a panic like situation among them by issuing such notices,” said Ranjan.
Incidentally, Sanjany Munda of Betlangi village under Chanho Police Station in Ranchi had killed himself on July 20 by hanging himself from the ceiling of the abundant part of his house because of alleged financial stress.
Rajdeep Nayak, 32, died at Medanta Hospital in Ranchi under Ormajhi Police Station on July 2, three days after consuming poison allegedly due to pressure mounted by the bank officials on the family to clear the dues against the loan taken for various reasons.