The tragic death of B. Hari Babu, known for his untiring efforts to espouse the cause of his fellow debt-ridden emu farmers, in a suspected suicide has not only devastated his family members but also shattered the distressed emu farmers across the district and elsewhere in the State.
Mr. Hari Babu was reportedly found dead on the railway tracks at the Kazipet railway junction in Warangal urban district in the small hours of Saturday. The railway police sources maintained that he had committed suicide by jumping in front of a train.
However, the family members of the deceased insisted that he had never exhibited any suicidal tendencies and always tried to overcome all odds with resolute determination. His untimely death has not only dealt an irreparable blow to his family but also to the members of the District Emu Farmers Association, which he led until his demise.
Like many other emu farmers he too suffered huge losses in emu ventures that proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors. The bankrupt emu farmers led by Mr Hari Babu ran from pillar to post seeking the help of the persons at the helm to bail them out from the debt burden, but to no avail, sources said.
“Mr Hari Babu strived to find a lasting solution to our financial problems till his last breath,” recalled B Veeraiah, a farmer of Tirumalapuram in Chintakani mandal.
We have submitted a series of representations to the persons at the helm to waive our bank loans and help us to come out of the vicious cycle of debt trap, but in vain, he rued. We look forward to the State government to implement a bailout package on the lines of the one initiated by the Andhra Pradesh government for debt-ridden emu farmers, he said.