Khanapur farmer dies by suicide over crop failure and debt; villagers protest at Collectorate with body

Dayanand Santaram Rathod, a farmer from Khanapur in Dharashiv taluka, Dharashiv district, died by suicide on Thursday. Drought, crop failure and a growing burden of debt are said to have driven him to it. On Friday, angry farmers and villagers took the body to the Collector's office and staged a protest. The protesters demanded financial assistance and a government job for the family.

Rathod was a small-holding farmer who also worked as a sugarcane cutter. Rain was irregular this year and the weather remained unfavourable, causing heavy damage to the crops on his farm. The farm was not yielding the expected income, and his financial difficulties had been mounting.

His family and villagers said he was under strain from having to run the household and repay loans. It has emerged that dues linked to a sugar factory and other loans had grown, leaving him in financial distress.

Rathod is said to have taken the extreme step on Thursday after returning home from seeing the poor state of the crops on his farm. The incident has caused grief in the Khanapur area.

On Friday morning, farmers and villagers from the Khanapur area gathered. They took the dead farmer's body to the Collector's office and held a strong demonstration against the administration.

The protesters' demands are as follows: the farmer's family, hit by drought and crop failure, should get immediate help from the government. Substantial financial assistance for the family is the main demand. They also want an educated member of the family taken into government service.

The protesters also said the administration should take immediate note of the case and complete the necessary procedures, and that a panchnama should be carried out at once and a report submitted to the government. The farmers said the administration should act without delay so that the family receives government aid.

The protesters have warned that they will not call off the agitation until the administration takes concrete action on the demands. The farmers and villagers want a written report on the demands and a firm assurance.

The incident has brought back into focus the uncertainty of rainfall, crop failure and farm-related financial distress in Dharashiv district. All eyes are now on whether Rathod's family receives government help and what action the administration takes in the case.