A farmer in Maharashtra's Solapur commited suicide on Wednesday
This debt-ridden 45-year-old farmer in Maharashtra's Solapur ended life by hanging himself from a tree near his house and left a suicide note with clear instructions for the family - "don't cremate me till Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis comes here".
Dhanaji Jadhav allegedly committed suicide at Veet village in Solapur district late last night, leaving behind a note purportedly stating that he should not be cremated till Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visits his place and fulfils their demands, Collector Rajendra Bhosale said.
Mr Jadhav's suicide note, addressed to his friends and relatives, said, "I am a farmer, Dhanaji Chandrakant Jadhav. I am committing suicide today. Please take my body to village and do not cremate me till Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis comes here."
Solapur's Guardian Minister Vijay Deshmukh visited the village today.
Mr Bhosale, who has 2.5 acres of cultivable land, is survived by wife and two children. He had a debt of around Rs 60,000 and had also taken loans from some private lenders, police said.
The farmers' organisations have called for a bandh in the area.
Senior officials and police teams have been rushed to Mr Bhosale's village to prevent the situation from spiralling into a law and order issue, the official said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has been under attack by opposition parties and BJP's ally Shiv Sena over sustained protests by farmers across Maharashtra for last one week, resulting in sharp rise in agri commodity prices.
Mr Fadnavis' recent statement promising a loan waiver by October 31 has failed to pacify the agitating farmers, who have continued with their stir.
Since this year began, more than 700 farmers have committed suicide, most of them in the drought-prone areas of Vidarbha and Marathwada, trapped in a cycle of debt and failed crops.
Apart from debt relief, farmers have been asking the government to ensure they are paid more for their produce.