Bank manager booked as farmer ends life

Mumbai: For the first time in history of the agrarian crisis in the Vidarbha region, a criminal case for harassment has been registered against a bank manager.

Despite instructions from the state government, the manager denied fresh crop loans to a farmer, who then committed suicide. Additionally, five more farmers committed suicide within last 48 hours taking death toll to 687 since January 2015.

Santosh Kumar, the manager of Bank of Maharashtra, Morshi branch denied a fresh crop loan to the debt-ridden farmer Sudhir Vamanrao Gawande, 42 on Friday. Sudhir went on to commit suicide on the same day at his home.

After intervention by Amravati collector Kiran Gitte, the Morshi police has filed an FIR against Santosh Kumar for allegedly abetting the suicide. Mr Kumar was suspended from his post on Saturday. Sharad. Ingale, in charge of Morshi Police station said, “Mr Kumar is absconding from Friday and we suspect that he may have left for Bihar, his home state.”

Prashant, Sudhir’s physically challenged elder brother said that Santosh was very upset after being denied the loan. Sudhir had a debt of '29,700 to Morshi District Cooperative Bank, which increased to Rs 48,000.

Though Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had instructed bankers to approve fresh crop loans, many nationalised banks are refusing farmers’ applications for crop loans. “Bank officials are showing extreme reluctance to clear the loan proposals,” said an activist.