MANDYA: A farmer couple allegedly died by suicide due to mounting debt and crop losses in Mandya district, news agency PTI reported.As per the PTI report, the deceased were identified as Puttaswamy, 58, and his wife Nagamma, 55, who allegedly hanged themselves from a tree at Hatna Bevukallu village in Mandya taluk on Thursday. The couple is suspected to have taken the extreme step after suffering crop losses and struggling with mounting debt.According to police, the couple owned five acres of agricultural land and had taken a loan of about Rs 10 lakh from a bank for farming. Their crops had withered due to inadequate rainfall, leaving them unable to repay the loan, police officials said.Personnel from Shivalli police station visited the spot, and further investigation is underway.Meanwhile, Union minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday visited the bereaved family of the farmer couple and offered his condolences. He also extended financial assistance to the family.Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra termed the incident “deeply tragic and heartbreaking” and urged the state government to take immediate steps to address the problems faced by farmers.Vijayendra said the suicide of Puttaswamy and Nagamma reflected the “severe distress” being faced by farmers in the state.“Although they cultivated tomatoes and other vegetables on about five acres of land, they reportedly suffered continuous crop losses and accumulated debts of around Rs 10-15 lakh. Unable even to repay the interest on the loans, they were driven to take the extreme step,” he said, expressing sorrow.He appealed to farmers not to lose courage or resort to suicide, regardless of the hardship they face, and urged them to remain hopeful that solutions to their problems can be found.Vijayendra said that instead of advising farmers not to sow or cultivate crops, chief minister D K Shivakumar should focus on restoring confidence among distressed farmers.He added that the government must respond to the problems faced by farmers across the state, including those in the Cauvery basin.(With agency inputs)
