A 23-year-old farmer from Devanur near Gingee allegedly ended his life on Sunday, after recovery agents of a private finance company seized the family’s tractor and humiliated them for defaulting on their loan.
Police said the victim, Chinnadurai and his brothers Suresh, 32, and Baskaran, 28, all farmers in Devanur had taken a loan of ₹6.30 lakh from a private finance firm in Gingee and bought two tractors.
The family had settled the dues for one tractor while they had sought time to pay the remaining dues of ₹2 lakh for the second vehicle. But the agents of the company did not listen to them. Family members alleged to police that the agents not only took away the tractor but also insulted and humiliated Chinnadurai and his brothers in front of their neighbours. Dejected over the incident, Chinnadurai ended his life.
The Valathi police have registered a case against Lingeshwaran and Siva, staff of Shri Ram Finance and two others under Sections 294 (b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
Condemning the incident, district secretary of the Communist Party of India (M) N. Subramaniam demanded the government arrest the loan recovery agents responsible for the farmer’s death. The government should also come out with guidelines and prevent private finance firms from taking any coercive action towards the recovery of loans, he said.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044- 24640050. )
