Debt: 6 members of farmer family commit suicide in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Six members of a farmer family committed suicide reportedly due to the huge debt owed to the private lenders in the Yadigir district of Karnataka. According to the police, the family was told to have been subjected to harassment by the lenders.

The deceased were identified as Bhimaraya Surapura aged 45, Shantamma (36) and their children– Sumitra (13), Sridevi (12), Shivaraj (9) and Lakshmi (8).

The unfortunate incident happened on Monday afternoon, and the family took the extreme step because they owed money to private lenders, as per the preliminary investigation, the police said.

The police say that the neighbours of the deceased have levelled allegations against private financers that they harassed the family and are checking the truth in it.

The family had reaped a watermelon harvest last year but couldn't transport it to the market due to the pandemic induced lockdown. This has put immense pressure on their financial status, says police and they added that a case had been registered and an inquiry has initiated.

Shahapur taluk, where the incident occurred, is among the state's most impoverished regions, and migration labour is common here.

Two weeks ago, a family of four had taken their lives in Chamarajanagar district in southern Karnataka out of unemployment and poverty. Also, the head of the family, Mahadevaswamy, was tested positive for corona in May, weeks before his demise. Villagers reportedly ostracised the family, and they could not sell milk or even fetch water from the public tap.