Debt-ridden Punjab farmer commits suicide at protest site

BATHINDA: Finding it difficult to repay his loan and facing damage to his cotton crop, a young farmer committed suicide on Thursday at a farmers' protest venue in Bathinda.
Kuldeep Singh, 26, of Chughe Kalan village in Bathinda consumed a poisonous substance around 2am and died four hours later at a hospital.
Kuldeep's family owns five acres of land and had taken another 13 acres on lease. He had sown cotton crop on five acres and paddy on 13 acres.
However, his cotton crop was badly damaged due to whitefly attack.His family owes Rs 4 lakh to village cooperative society, Bathinda Central Cooperative Bank and a commission agent, besides Rs 5.20 lakh to a village landowner.
READ ALSO: Farmers refuse to take blame for whitefly attack
They borrowed the money from the landowner for taking his 13 acres on lease at the rate of Rs 40,000 per acre.
In a handwritten suicide note, Kuldeep has accused the state government of forcing him to take the extreme step.
Earlier, farm labourer Mandar Singh had died of heart attack while going to the protest site on September 17.
READ ALSO: Punjab cotton growers lost Rs 3,800 crore, Farmer outfits say
Before Kuldeep, five other farmers have committed suicide in Bathinda and Barnala districts in the last one month after they lost their cotton crop to severe pest attack.
Eight farmer outfits, protesting for the last seven days in Bathinda, blamed the state government for Kuldeep's suicide.
They demanded registration of a case of abetment of suicide case against the state government, Rs 10 lakh compensation to the victim's family, a government job to one of his family members and waiver of his debt.
Kuldeep's elder brother, Hardeep Singh, said, "Kuldeep was under depression for the last few days after our cotton crop got completely damaged. We were unable to clear the debt, and additional burden of paying Rs 5 lakh to landowner, from whom we had taken land on lease, was giving Kuldeep sleepless nights."