Hyderabad: In a heartbreaking incident, a 48-year-old Telangana farmer died by suicide by consuming poison at a bank in Adilabad on Saturday, January 18, allegedly unable to pay his mounting debts.
The deceased farmer, Jadav Deva Rao, was a farmer from Saidapur in Bela Mandal of Adilabad.
In a disturbing CCTV visual that emerged online, the Telangana farmer is seen entering the bank where he had loans and consuming pesticide from a canister. According to Adilabad police, the farmer had a loan of Rs 3.5 lakh with the local ICICI bank branch.
The bank manager was reportedly harassing Rao after he defaulted on two loan instalments of Rs 25,000 each that he had taken by pledging 5 acres of land he owned.
The farmer is survived by his wife and a son. Police have booked a case and started an investigation.
Congress govt responsible for Telangana farmer’s death: KTR
‘This is nothing but a murder committed by the government,’ Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao said, as he expressed deep anguish over Rao’s suicide.
He accused Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy of breaking his promise to waive Rs 2 lakh loans for all farmers, a betrayal that directly caused Rao’s death.
“This is not a suicide; it is a murder committed by the Revanth-led government. The farmers of Telangana view it as such,” KTR said.
The Sircilla MLA urged the Congress government to immediately waive off all farmer loans in the state, and ensure no more farmers’ suicides happen in Telangana.
“Dear farmers, please do not resort to suicide. Suicides are not the solution to your problems; together, we can demand justice and a better future,” KTR pleaded with the farmers in the state, to not take drastic steps over distress from loans, while urging them to take it to the streets as protests.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Parameswaran Valeri | 
