Rachaboyina Balagoud was 55 years and belonged to Mylaram village in Wargal mandal. He had about one-and-a-half acres of land. He took loans to the tune of Rs. 12 lakh from various sources, including banks, and a private financer. He had sunk as many as 12 borewells in his field.
According to his family members, on August 19 the financierwent to their house and stayed put for more than three hours demanding repayment of his loan. Stung by the humiliation, Balagoud committed suicide by hanging himself at the farm in the wee hours next day i.e, on August 20.
It was said that none in the family knew that he took a loan from a private financer. It was said that he was respected by all as a village elder, and unable to digest that a financer created a brawl over repayment of loan at his home, he took the extreme step.
He is survived by wife Lakshmi and four children - Kishtaiah, Anjaneyulu, Swami and Swapna. The family used to own six acres of land which was reduced to one-and-a-half acre.
Another case from the same village was that of Kotala Sailu (50) who committed suicide about a year ago. He had given the land papers of his daughter Nukalakanti Shyamala to a financer and took a loan. Unable to repay the amount, he committed suicide by consuming pesticide.
Even though Sailu’s family tried to mobilise money by becoming part of a chit fund company and auctioned Rs. 1,80,000 amount for Rs. 90,000, the family had not received the amount. “We paid three instalments of Rs.10,000 each to become eligible to participate in the auction. But, we were denied to the amount even after successful bidding,” says Jayamma, wife of Sailu, who has been eking out a living as a daily wager.
These two examples stands as a testimony of the authoritative role played by private financiers in lives of farming community.
Yet in one more case, Talla Raju (26) of Perur village in Medak mandal, had committed suicide by jumping into a water body near the village. Neck deep in the debts after performing the marriage of his sister and unable to generate any revenues as there were no rains, Raju committed suicide. His 60-year-old father Pochaiah has been moving from pillar-to-post to get some financial assistant for the family.
According to Telangana Rytu Sangham, as many as 44 farmers had committed suicide in Medak district alone, after the new government took over. The farmers were forced to approach private financiers to lend loan at an interest rate of Rs.3 to Rs.5 per Rs.100 per month by hypothecating as the banks were not extending financial assistance to the farming community.
Led by Rytu Sangham, about 20 families from various places approached Collector Rahul Bojja on Monday and urged to extend financial assistance.
Rytu Sangham general secretary G. Jayaraj said that the Collector promised to extend assistance to the families after conducting an inquiry.
