The Hindu : Karnataka News : Another farmer commits suicide in Karnataka

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Friday, Dec 21, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Another farmer commits suicide in Karnataka

Staff Correspondent

Incident occurred in Chamarajanagar taluk
Siddaraju had taken Rs. 5.50 lakh from ICICI Bank

MYSORE: Another farmer who had taken a loan from a private bank to buy a tractor is said to have committed suicide by consuming insecticide. The police gave his name as Siddaraju (36) of Harave village in Chamarajanagar taluk.

This comes close on the heels of H.M. Manjunath of Hospura village in Nanjangud taluk ending his life allegedly because of “abusive tactics” adopted by ICICI Bank to recover the loan he had taken to purchase a tractor.

The Chamarajanagar Rural police said Siddaraju had taken a Rs. 5.50-lakh tractor loan from ICICI Bank in Mysore and could not repay it. Family members alleged that though Siddaraju had paid an instalment of Rs. 10,000, the bank had not issued a receipt for the amount.

Chamarajanagar Superintendent of Police Srikantappa said a case of unnatural death had been registered and it was being investigated.

According to Siddaraju’s family members, he had received three demand notices from the bank. A few people representing the bank recently visited the village and “persuaded” him to pay the instalments. Siddaraju had confessed to his friends and relatives that he could not pay the instalments because his crops had failed.

Siddaraju, who consumed insecticide on Wednesday, told his wife Nagarathna that he had decided to end his life as he was not in a position to repay the loan.

Nagarathna immediately shifted Siddaraju to the Primary Health Centre with the help of neighbours. He died while he was being taken to the Chamarajanagar District Hospital for further treatment. It is said that he had mortgaged his five acres of land for the tractor loan.

Speaking to The Hindu, Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner Vishwanatha Reddy, said that based on the complaint from the farmer’s family against the bank, he had ordered an inquiry by a three-member committee.

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