Salem: In a disturbing trend, yet another farmer from Erode district committed suicide on Friday by consuming poison after his turmeric crop withered away for want of water.
S Muthusamy, 70, from Vengamettur near Kodumudi ended his life by consuming poison at his farm, police said. It came close on a similar tragic suicide of another farmer Ramalingam, 56, of Kodumudi in the district, disheartened by his 3.5 acre turmeric crop gone waste.
Two successive suicides from the same neighbourhood triggered unrest among the farmers, who refused to let the police take the body of the deceased to the government hospital for post-mortem.
Police said S Muthusamy is survived by his wife Muthayammal, 65, son Ganesan and two daughters. The family owns 40 cents of agricultural land and they have been doing farming in four acres of land taken on lease, in which he had planted turmeric after taking a Rs 5 lakh crop loan from a bank in Kodumudi.
“Muthusamy began turmeric cultivation in August when the Kalingarayan canal was opened, almost delayed by over two months with a hope that water will be released for 120 days as per a government announcement. However, the water was stopped abruptly within 28 days on September 9 due to lack of sufficient rains,” said farmers.
As crops began to wither, farmers’ bodies urged the district administration and PWD officials to release water from the canal to save their crops. Despite repeated petitions and desperate pleas, there was no solution in sight for the aggrieved farmers.
Unable to save his drying crops, a depressed Muthusamy finally ended his life by consuming poison at his farm. With other local farmers resisting police moving the body, RDO Ms. Narmadha arrived at the scene and held talks with the agitating farmers.
The farmers demanded Rs 30 lakh compensation to the next-of-kin of the deceased and also immediate water release in the canal. Talks continued till late in the evening as the farmers refused to relent on their demands. Kodumudi police have registered a case.
