Amidst rising concern over farm distress in the country, three farmers committed suicide in the last four days in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat with their kin blaming indebtedness and agricultural loss as being the factors which pushed them into taking the extreme step.
Two of the suicides were reported in Kodinar taluka of Gir -Somnath district while the third one has come to light in Bhavnagar district, a police official said here today.
"A 38-year-old farmer, identified as Amarsinh Mori, from Devli village of Kodinar taluka ended his life due to unknown reasons yesterday evening," said Investigating Officer of Kodinar taluka police station, KM Vaja.
Mori's relatives said he took the extreme step as he was depressed after his cattle, which he had bought using a loan of Rs 58,000 obtained through mortgaging his land, were washed away during heavy rains last month.
"Mori committed suicide by consuming poison last evening because he was in depression for the last few days after he lost his two cows and a calf in the rains," said an acquaintance of his, Ashwin Barad.
"Last month, when Mori had taken his cattle to river Ingola, they were washed away in the floods during heavy rains on July 24," Barad said. Mori had bought the cattle after borrowing Rs 58,000 from a village co-operative.
"As he had mortgaged his farm land to buy the cattle, he was left with no option but to commit suicide," Barad said.
Mori, who was the only earning member of his family, is survived by his wife Januben and 16-year-old son Raviraj, who studies in Std 10, said Barad.
