PUNE: A 48-year-old farmer and director of the Indapur urban cooperative bank allegedly ended his life by jumping into a well at Belwadi in Indapur taluka, about 140km from here. The body was recovered from the well on Sunday morning.
In an unsigned “suicide note”, recovered by the police from the pocket of his trousers, the farmer, Vasant Sopan Powar, has named two ministers (names withheld) in the
state cabinet, blaming them for his death due to non-release of canal water to his farm land for two years.
“The note, which was found neatly kept in a plastic sheet, stated that his crops were destroyed due to non-availability of water and that he had run up huge debts,” a Pune rural police officer said.
The well from where the body was recovered is located a little distance away from Powar’s house in Belwadi, the police said. “Pawar blamed the two ministers in the state cabinet and said they were responsible for the suicide,” the officer added.
A case of accidental death has been registered with the Walchandanagar police.
Pawar owned agricultural land in Lasurne and
Belwadi villages in Indapur taluka. He ran a shop selling pesticides and fertilizers in Lasurne and was also the director of the Indapur bank. “On Saturday, after closing his shop around 8pm, Pawar did not return home. His family members searched for him throughout the night,” said Shivaji Hole, investigating officer from the
Walchandnagar police.
Hole said Pawar’s body was found in the well around 9.30am on Sunday. The body has been sent for a post-mortem.
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