Storm-hit farmer commits suicide

Subhro Maitra TNN
Malda: A farmer, who lost his home and his standing crops to Cyclone Aila, committed suicide on Wednesday night. Forty-year-old Gul Mohammad of Birasthali village had taken loans from money lenders but hoped to repay his debt from a bumper crop. The storm ruined everything. To make matters worse for Gul, his wife was seriously ill and needed surgery. Finding himself trapped, the farmer took a bottle of pesticide and killed himself. Gul would take loans every year to sow boro crop on his 2.5 bigha of land and repay them after harvest, and still manage to live comfortably. This year, the annual ritual went haywire, thanks to Cyclone Aila. He had taken a loan of about Rs 40,000 but had no worries because he was confident of a big harvest. Then, his wife Saleha Biwi fell ill. And Aila struck. His house was wrecked and his land flooded. In desperation, Gul tried to reap whatever crops he could salvage but the labourers demanded at least half of the harvest. Pleading to panchayat and BDO office did not yield any result. Helpless, Gul took poison last night. The ailing Saleha, who now has to take care of three minor children, is deeply in shock. Chanchal subdivisional officer Debjani Dutta said: “We know Gul Mohammad had suffered a huge loss, like the other farmers of the area. But we are not certain whether it was the reason for his suicide.”