Drought has made the lives of farmers miserable in India.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
The Marathwada area of Maharashtra has witnessed several farmer suicides this year. In yet another shocking incident of a double suicide, the 27-year-old wife of a farmer killed herself in Padoli, Kalamb taluka of Osmanabad district on Tuesday, just four days after her husband had committed suicide after failing to repay a debt of little over $1,000 he inherited from his father.
The deceased identified as Supriya Tekale set herself ablaze after pouring kerosene at her home.
“She was taken to a hospital in Latur with 90% burn injuries. She died within a few hours,” a police officer told The Times of India.
Her husband, Mahendra, 32, committed suicide on June 24 by hanging himself after he failed to pay a debt of Rs. 72,000 he inherited from his father. Mahendra’s father had taken the loan from a credit co-operative society.
The farmer had been experiencing a severe financial crisis. His yield from his four acres of farm land was insignificant this year due to the scarcity of water. The police had registered a case of “possible farmer suicide” in connection with Mahendra’s suicide.
Marathwada has witnessed a series of farmer suicides in recent years mainly because of crop failure due to insufficient rain and water scarcity. Reports say a total of 496 farmers have committed suicide in the region till the first week of June.