Unable to pay debt, 2 farmers commit suicide

Patiala/Muktsar: Unable to pay off their debt, two farmers ended their lives in Patiala and Muktsar districts on Tuesday. Shamsher Singh, a farmer of Dullowal village in Patiala, ended his life due to heavy debt. He had taken a loan of Rs 30 lakh from banks and was unable to pay back. He sold all three acres that he owned. The money received on selling the land helped him to pay back Rs 12 lakh while the remaining loan was yet to be paid.
Shamsher's family members said earlier, he lost his left leg in an accident.They said he had no children and his wife was near blind and could not support herself. Meanwhile, a young farmer of Husnar village of Muktsar jumped in a canal to end his life. Khushpal Singh, 20, was under depression and jumped into the Sirhind feeder canal on Tuesday.
His family owned three acres of land that was waterlogged. They owed Rs 2 lakh to a moneylender. Husnar sarpanch Baldev Singh said, "Khushpal's father Jagwinder Singh was not keeping well for the past few months. Khushpal was taking care of his ailing father and four sisters."
Concerned over the growing number of farmer suicides in Punjab in the past few weeks, peasant outfit BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) on Wednesday held a protest at Bathinda, and asked the union and state governments to take remedial measures to minimize suicides due to debt. It also demanded the implementation of the Swaminathan Committee recommendations to ensure remunerative prices of crops, and to adopt Sir Chhotu Ram's recommendations of 1936 about debt waiver, and stopping auction of agricultural land and houses of farmers.
BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) claims these measures may minimize suicides by farmers. Its members also burnt the effigy of Punjab Arhatiya Association president Ravinder Singh Cheema for claiming that farmer suicides were taking place in the state to get ex-gratia compensation of rupees three lakh. Baldev Singh, Bathinda unit chief of BKU (Ekta Sidhupur), said: "Rising number of farm suicides is a serious cause of concern for everyone. The state and the Centre must take some steps which could motivate farmers and farm labourers against taking the extreme step of ending their lives. Implementing the Swaminathan Committee recommendations and adopting Sir Chhotu Ram formula on debt waiver could be the most suitable steps for stopping farm suicides."