Farmer dies by suicide in Gujarat over delay in housing aid

MAHISAGAR: A 70-year-old farmer has allegedly committed suicide in Gujarat's Mahisagar district, apparently over delay in release of funds to construct a house sanctioned to him under a government scheme, police said on Monday.

Balwantsinh Charan, hailing from Vandarved village in Mahisagar, hanged himself from the ceiling near a staircase on the second floor of Bakor taluka panchayat's office during working hours on Saturday afternoon, they said.

"There were three-four employees in the office, but nobody was present in the staircase room when he hanged himself," Bakor taluka police station's sub-inspector M B Vachhani said.

Before taking the extreme step, the farmer called an emergency helpline number, where he said he was present at the taluka panchayat office and was going to end his life as his work was not getting done, the official said, adding that the victim did not specify the work during the phone call.

"We are conducting an investigation to find out the exact reason behind the suicide," he said.

"As per primary investigation, it appears the farmer was fed up as he was not getting the fund released under a government housing scheme for which his application was approved.

We will check the records for further details," the official said.

The body was sent to a government hospital for postmortem and a case of accidental death was registered at Bakor taluka police station, he said.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)