Financial ruin leads to another farmer's suicide in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Dec 31: Another farmer in Odisha has reportedly taken his life, bringing the total number of suicides attributed to crop losses from unseasonal rains to six within a week. The deceased has been identified as Krutibas Swain, a resident of Sarena village under the Balikuda police jurisdiction in Jagatsinghpur district.

Sources indicate that Swain visited his paddy field with his brother on Monday, only to discover that his nearly harvested crop had been severely damaged by the recent unseasonal rains. Overwhelmed by the financial distress caused by this loss, he returned home and locked himself in his room that evening.

When he failed to come out for dinner, his family grew concerned and knocked on the door, but received no response. Anxious, they enlisted the help of neighbors to break down the door, only to find Swain hanging from the ceiling. He was quickly taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

His family claims that the extensive crop damage led Swain to take this tragic step, and they are now demanding an investigation into the incident and compensation for their losses, as farming was their sole source of income.

The unseasonal rains from December 20 to 26 have caused significant damage to harvested and ready-to-harvest paddy crops in several districts, particularly affecting Ganjam. It is important to note that five other farmers have also reportedly died this month due to similar circumstances.