'Farmer' dies, son claims he was depressed over poor garlic price

A 60-year-old man has died of cardiac arrest here, police said today.

According to the son of the deceased -- Ramkalyan Meena -- his father was a garlic farmer residing in Guradi village in Baran district and had been battling depression over not getting a fair price for his produce.

In a police complaint, Meena's son has claimed that the deceased was cultivating garlic on a seven-bigha land that he had taken on rent and he had also taken a loan of around Rs 6 lakh, SHO, Harnawadasahaji police station, Ramhetar Pareta said.

The debt coupled with his failure to get a good price for his produce was the reason behind his depression, the son has claimed, the SHO added.

However, the police said a primary probe had revealed that Meena was neither a garlic cultivator nor under debt.

He worked as a labourer in an agriculture field and even though he owned a small piece of land, he had nothing to with garlic farming, the SHO said.

If someone died naturally or accidentally, it was projected as a death caused by depression over low garlic prices to get compensation and financial aid and it had become a "tendency" of the villagers in the area, the SHO said.

He added that the doctors at the community health centre, where Meena was taken after he collapsed, said that he most likely died due to cardiac arrest.

The police were awaiting the post-mortem report, he added.