Several farmers staged a protest near the Government Tiruvannamalai Medical College Hospital demanding the arrest of the bank manager and loan recovery agents “responsible” for the death of a farmer on Monday.
The farmer, Gnanasekaran of Pondhai village, suffered a heart attack following an alleged scuffle with loan recovery agents on Saturday night.
He had availed of a loan to purchase a tractor from a nationalised bank in Sathanur. Following his death, his relatives refused to accept his body demanding the arrest of those responsible for his death.
On Monday, several farmers staged a protest near the hospital. R. Veerabadran, district deputy secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam, Tiruvannamalai, said that Gnanasekaran told the loan recovery agents to attach his tractor as per legal procedures.
“He told them to bring the bank official and the police to attach the tractor. He also sought time to repay the loan. But one of them hit him on the chest and he fell down. This led to his death. We are demanding that his loan should be waived, and his family be granted ₹25 lakh. The agents and bank manager should be arrested,” he said.
K. Jothi, district secretary of the CPI, said the police had registered a case under section 174 of CrPC. “We want a case to be registered under section 302 (murder) of IPC,” he said.
He added that Gnanasekaran had taken about ₹5 lakh as loan and repaid about ₹1.75 lakh. “Due to drought conditions, he could not repay the loan on time. Moreover, he was waiting for the settlement of arrears for sugarcane supplied last year. He has to receive ₹3 lakh from a sugar mill . He had told the agents that he would repay the loan amount once he received the money from the mill,” he said.
Mr. Jothi said norms had been violated in the farmer’s case. “ Due to drought conditions in the last four years, even the State government stopped recovery of loans,” he said.
