BRS blames govt. for Palamuru farmer’s death

HYDERABAD

Senior leader of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) T. Harish Rao blamed the State government for the suicide committed by a farmer, I. Ravi Naik of Eerlapalli thanda in Jadcherla mandal of Mahabubnagar district, stating that he had succumbed to the poison he had allegedly consumed as three government hospitals had failed to provide him timely treatment.

In a statement, Mr. Rao said on Tuesday that the Congress government must be held accountable for pushing farmers into despair and denying them dignity in both life and death as it had been ignoring farmers’ woes. The delay in providing basic medical care to the farmer was not just negligence but it amounted to murder committed by the government.

The farmer with two acres landholding had borrowed ₹4 lakh last year to sink (dig) two borewells and cultivate cotton crop. However, poor yield had pushed him into losses. On Monday morning he went to his farm field and allegedly consumed a pesticide due to distress as he failed to find ways to clear the debt.

After learning about his extreme step, the family members along with neighbouring farmers took him to the government hospital at Jadcherla first and the doctors there told them to go to the district hospital at Mahabubnagar. There they were told at 11 a.m. that beds were not empty and to take the farmer to NIMS or Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. At NIMS, they were told to go to Gandhi Hospital after waiting for a couple of hours. At Gandhi Hospital, the farmer succumbed half-an-hour after commencement of treatment.

The BRS leader said the farmer could have been alive had he been provided timely treatment either at Jadcherla or Mahabubnagar.