MP: Tribal farmer ends life due to crop loss, probe ordered

Heartbroken by damage of soybean crops, a 35-year-old tribal farmer allegedly committed suicide at Jhakas village in the district.
The farmer identified as Satish Mavaskar took the extreme step on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday by hanging himself from an electric pole at his agriculture field, Mohda Police Station in-charge Shyamlal Sahu said today.
The farmer's family claimed that he took the extreme step after he was disappointed over his crop damage on 20 acres land due to yellow mosaic virus, police said.
Though Betul collector Gyaneshwar B Patil has ordered a probe to be conducted by Bhainsdehi Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Aditya Richaria into the incident, district administration has neither confirmed that the farmer has committed suicide due to crop damage nor briefed about any other reason behind the suicide.

Richaria confirmed that the collector has directed him over phone to probe the suicide of the farmer at Jhakas village.
According to the deceased's father, both Satish and his wife Bhagirati had gone to Akola and Harda, respectively, for work on Tuesday. Upon returning, they were dejected to see their standing soybean crop on 20 acres damaged, apparently caused due to yellow mosaic virus attack.

Later, Satish left his house in the night without informing anyone and his body was found hanging from an electric tower in the field the next morning, the officer said.
After getting an alert, Mohda police reached the spot and took the body into their possession and sent it for post-mortem.

Meanwhile, district Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Rajesh Saryam along with a large number of villagers held a protest at Damjipura police post demanding survey of soybean crop affected with the yellow mosaic virus in the entire area.