It has come to light that a farmer, who had committed suicide at Kusuburu in N.R. Pura taluk on Sunday, had cleared his bank loan by selling off one acre of his land only a week before his death.
His relatives said that he had been under tremendous pressure to clear the loan and this eventually led to his suicide.
Venkataramana Naika (65), plunged into the Tunga near his village on Sunday evening. His family learned about the death only after his body was found in the river the next day. He is survived by his wife, Indramma, and two children.
Speaking to The Hindu on the phone on Friday, Ms. Indramma said, “Only a week ago, he had sold an acre of his land and cleared the dues in the bank. My son, Rathish, had accompanied him to the bank to clear the loan. The bank officials repeatedly forced him to clear it,” she said. Venkataramana had borrowed Rs. 5 lakh from Syndicate Bank at Muttinakoppa in N.R. Pura taluk.
Ms. Indramma said she was unaware of how much he had earned from the sale of the land. However, she was sure that he had cleared the loan. “He was deeply upset because he had to sell a part of his land. Even after this, there were more loans that he had borrowed from people in the village to clear off,” she said. The family had three acres of land.
Action against officials
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Kissan Cell president Sachin Miga met the family members on Thursday and later submitted a memorandum to the senior police officers in Chikkamagaluru to take action against the bank officials.
