Dhenkanal: A sharecropper committed suicide by consuming a pesticide laced drink reportedly due to crop loss and debt burden at Talbarkote village under Sadar block in this district Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Kailash Nayak (55). Family members claimed that Kailash had taken three acres of land on lease for paddy cultivation. He had borrowed from local money lenders for the cultivation but suffered crop loss due to incessant rain in the aftermath of cyclonic storm Titli.
Kailash took up the matter of crop loss with the administration but the latter did little for him despite an agriculture officer visiting the affected farms and taking stock of the situation.
He failed to get loans from the cooperative agencies as he was a sharecropper. Clueless, he took the extreme step Monday.
Family members rushed him in a critical condition to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where he died during treatment Tuesday.
Villagers plunged into mourning after his body arrived in the village. Kailash is survived by his wife and two children.
When contacted, BDO Saroj Kumar Dutta refused having any knowledge on Kailash’s suicide.
Chhabindra Behera, deputy director, agriculture, said he has asked the local gram sevak to collect details on the sharecropper’s death and report to him.
He said the Collector will be apprised of the incident and further steps will be taken after receiving the report from the gram sevak.
PNN