Two debt-ridden farmers died in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday as the government struggled to contain acute agricultural distress that has claimed five lives since violent protests broke out last week. A 68-year-old farmer allegedly killed himself in the state’s Hoshangabad district and his body found hanging from the branch of a tree in his farm, police said. In Madhya Pradesh, for example, a combination of a bountiful crop and a cash crunch post demonetization has left farmers with few options in a region that clocked a farmer suicide every five hours last year. Another debt-ridden farmer, Anwar Khan, allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide in Bundelkhand’s Sagar district on Thursday evening, police said. 52-year-old farmer Dulichand Keer allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison in Rehti area of Sehore district, 40 kms from Bhopal, on Monday.

Source: Hindustan Times June 13, 2017 09:46 UTC