Telangana groundnut farmer ends life over mounting debts due to crop losses

HYDERABAD: Crop losses and increasing burden of debts forced a groundnut farmer to end his life in Doultabad mandal of Vikarabad district. Kummari Narsimhulu (67) was found hanging in a cattle shed in his field on Wednesday morning, the police said.

N Vishwajan, sub-inspector Doultabad, said a case has been registered and further investigation is on.

According to police, Narsimhulu belongs to Kowdeed village of Doulthabad and owns around two acres of agricultural land in the village. He cultivated groundnut in the land, but the recent crop was damaged, leaving him with huge losses.

Moreover, he had borrowed huge amounts of money from different people in the village and invested in the crop. In addition to the crop losses, the burden of debts was also troubling him, as he could not pay the interest on time.

Since the crop losses, he used to often think about the debts. His three sons tried to console him and assured that they would repay the debts. However, he remained upset. On Tuesday night, he along with his younger son K Bheemappa went to the field for the night watch.

On Wednesday morning, Bheemappa woke up but could not find his father. He searched for him and found him hanging from the ceiling rod in the cattle shed.

Police suspect Narsimhulu took the extreme step upset over the crop losses and burden of debts. Based on a complaint from Bheemappa, police initiated a probe.

(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.)