Telangana: Farmer films video after consuming pesticide

MEDAK: Depressed over alleged encroachment of his farm by local and forest authorities, a 30-year-old farmer attempted suicide by consuming pesticide in Devulapalli village of Koudipalli Mandal on Sunday.
Minutes after consuming the pesticide, the victim Jinka Srisailam sent a selfie video to other local farmers, who shared it in the village group.

In the video, he can be seen claiming that the forest officials along with the local sarpanch destroyed his farm with the help of an earthmover. “On the five-acre land that has been cultivated even by my forefathers, the authorities destroyed `60,000 worth of chilli crop,” Jinka said, in the recorded video statement.

He added that the officials asked him to vacate the land so that a Bruhat Palle Prakruthi Vanam could be developed. He said there was no other income source for him to support his wife, two children and mother. “I love the farm like a mother and couldn’t bear to see it getting bulldozed, destroying the chilli crop in the process. For this reason, I decided to take the extreme step,” he said. The video generated a lot of traction on social media, leading local farmers to alert the authorities, who shifted him to the Medak government hospital. Doctors said his condition was critical.

Encroachment woes

In the video, the farmer said  that the forest officials along with the local sarpanch destroyed his five-acre farmland with the help of an earthmover, ruining his `60,000 worth of chilli crop in the process