After leaving a note with birthday wishes for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a 45-year-old farmer allegedly died by suicide after jumping into a pond in the Pune district Sunday, said the police.
The police have identified the deceased as Dashrath Lakshman Kedari from the Wadgaon Anand village in the Junnar taluka.
Officials said they have recovered a suicide note written by Kedari in which he talked about not getting minimum support price (MSP) for crops and harassment at the hands of loan recovery agents.
Kedari also blamed the Maharastra Government and the Centre for ignoring the plight of farmers in his note. He mentioned the condition of farmers due to the losses suffered because of the coronavirus pandemic and heavy rain. He also blamed PM Modi for his inaction and demanded MSP.
In the handwritten note, Kedari wrote, “We have no money, moneylenders are not ready to wait. What should we do? We can’t even afford to take onions to the market. You are just thinking about yourself, Modi saheb. You must provide the guaranteed price for the produce. You are not able to keep control of agriculture. What should farmers do? The finance guys threaten, and the patpedhi (cooperative society) officers abuse. Who should we go for justice?… Today, I am forced to commit suicide because of your inaction. Please give us the prices for crops, which is our right”.
After receiving information about the death, a team of Pune Rural police reached the spot and sent Kedari’s body for postmortem. Meanwhile, the local tehsildar and other government officials visited Kedari’s residence after his death.
A case of accidental death (AD) has been lodged at the Alephata police station and a probe launched to confirm the cause behind Kedari’s death. Police Inspector Pramod Kshirsagar is investigating the case.
The police said Kedari is survived by his mother, wife, and two children. His last rites were conducted Sunday night.
