NHRC seeks report from Maha on farmer suicides

http://nhrc.nic.in/dispArchive.asp?fno=2655

New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission Wednesday sought a report from Maharashtra government on a report of seven farmers committing suicide in 72 hours in Vidarbha.

The Commission asked the Chief Secretary to file the report within six weeks after taking note of the media report claiming that seven farmers committed suicide in the past 72 hours in the Vidarbha region.


The panel said if the report is true, it raises a "serious issue" of rights violation of farmers.

Farmers Dhayneshwer Thakary, Pramod Mamankar, Kanikrao Kukade, Vitthal Bhogare, Shyam Sahare, Doulat Kukade and Chakradhar Choudhary committed suicide recently, an NHRC spokesperson said quoting the media report.

As per documentation done by Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), he said, 528 farmers had committed suicide in Vidarbha region in the period between January one and September two.

The cause of suicides, as reported in the press report, was damage to cash crops like soya, paddy and cotton because of heavy rain in the area, the spokesperson said.