Morning shocker! Debt-ridden farmer climbs up transformer, electrocuted in Haveri

Hubballi: He left home at 5 am and walked for over a kilometre before climbing up to sit on a transformer on the outskirts of the village. There was no power supply at the time, but he was aware it would resume at 8 am and waited patiently for it and got himself electrocuted.

The suicide of 58-year- old farmer Chamansab Arisinaguppi of Chikkamsihosur village in Hangal taluk of Haveri district on Friday left the people here shocked.

He was believed to be depressed over the failure of his crops for two consecutive years and the harassment he was suffering from  moneylenders.

The people, who rushed to the  transformer on hearing a loud noise, saw him lying there dead and realised what he had done. Chamansab owned three acres of  land and had seven children, including five daughters.

Struggling to make ends meet owing to the drought, he had grown jowar by taking a loan from the State Bank of India, but could not repay it as the crop failed. He then borrowed from moneylenders on higher interest to repay the bank, but it refused to give him a fresh loan when he wanted one, according to his family.

“He left  home saying  he was going to the fields. No one noticed him  sitting on the transformer for over two hours as it is located in a remote spot outside the village. He had borrowed over Rs 3 lakh  from various finance companies and moneylenders. The debt  increased after he got two of his daughters married last year," said Chamansab’s nephew, Mardhansab. Angry farmers’ leaders, meanwhile, alleged that banks were continuing to harass farmers to repay loans despite the drought in the region. Chamsab is only the latest to commit suicide in the district.

Going by officials of the agriculture department  77 farmers have committed suicide and compensation has been paid to families of 56 of them in Haveri  since April last year.

Farmers are continuing to kill themselves  although they were assured by AICC vice-president, Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during a mammoth rally and padayatra in October 2015 that the government would come to their rescue.