Patrapur: A 57-year-old sharecropper was shattered over the damages caused to his crops by cyclonic storm ‘Jawad’ and allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide Sunday afternoon.
The deceased man was identified as Kailash Sabar of Uluma village of Turubudi panchayat under Patrapur block in Ganjam district.
Kailash was the only earning member of his family. He had cultivated paddy, tomato, brinjal and a few other vegetables on three-acre of farmland owned by one T Nameswar Patra. Unfortunately, he suffered crop losses owing to incessant rainfall triggered by the cyclone.
According to Kailash’s family, the sharecropper had gone to see the crops earlier in the day after Jawad lashed the region. Later, the man became very depressed over the extent of damages caused to his crops and then decided for taking the extreme step and ended life.
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“My husband had gone to Turubudi market Sunday morning to sell vegetables. After returning home, he took the extreme step. Perhaps he had purchased a pesticide bottle from the market and later consumed it. We came to learn about it when he started vomiting in the afternoon,” wife of the sharecropper Padma Sabar stated.
Family members of Kailash rushed him to Patrapur community health centre (CHC) for treatment. However, doctors at the government-run health facility pronounced him as ‘dead’ about half an hour later.
Kailash had cultivated paddy exclusively on two acres out of the three-acre of farmland. He had availed loan from private money-lenders for farming. After the crops got spoiled, the sharecropper got upset.
Meanwhile, the wife of Kailash has lodged an FIR at Jarada police station. Incessant rain damaged the crops and the burden of loans, that he availed, made him take the extreme step, she alleged.
Jarada police have registered a case in this connection and launched a probe into the incident which is underway, an official informed.
On being informed about the untoward incident, local tehsildar Amit Kumar Nayak reached the Patrapur CHC and provided the bereaved family with an assistance of Rs 10,000 from Red Cross fund.
It is pertinent to mention, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena had earlier said Saturday that assessment of crop losses caused by Jawad-induced rain will be done within the next seven days.
PNN