Farmer Commits Suicide in Rajshahi Under Burden of Debt

❐ Local correspondent

Suicides due to debt are increasing. According to various media sources, there have been at least ten such suicides in the past one year. Three days ago, four members of a family died in Paba upazila of Rajshahi due to debt pressure. Now, a farmer named Akbar Hossain (50) has committed suicide due to debt pressure in Kharail village of Mohanpur upazila of the same district.

Akbar Hossain is the son of Lokman Hossain of Kharail village. The deceased Akbar has two sons, Sujan Shah (30) and Suman Shah (18).

It is learnt that farmer Akbar Hossain, who had taken a loan of 6 to 7 lakh taka from at least 11 NGOs and local moneylenders and was unable to repay it, committed suicide by hanging himself from his paan tree at 6:30 am on Monday due to the pressure of the loan.

Son Sujan said, “My father took a loan of 4 lakh taka from an NGO. But this time the price of betel has fallen. Our family used to run on the income from betel plantation on one bigha of land. The loan installment was 5 thousand taka every week. But this time, it was difficult to repay the loan because the price of betel was not available. The people from the NGO used to pressure him for the installment every day. My father committed suicide due to the pressure of debt.”

He further said that his father’s loans were to NGOs named Grameen Prachath, Grameen Unnayan Kendra (GAK), BRAC, ASHA, Proshika, Village Education Resource Center (VERC), Dum Foundation for Economic Development (DFED), Shapla Gram Unnayan Sangstha, Resource Integration Center (RIC), Eco Social Development Organization (ESDO), and Palli Mangal Khra (PMK).

Rajshahi’s Mohanpur Police Station OC Ataur Rahman said, “Akbar Hossain had a paan barge. He was a farmer and had debts. This year, he suffered losses in paan barge and could not repay the debt. Out of despair, he committed suicide by hanging himself from his paan barge.”

He said preparations are underway to send the body of the deceased to the morgue for an autopsy.

In response to a question, the police officer said, “If the relatives of the deceased file a case of abetment to suicide in the name of the NGO, then a case will be filed. But his family has said they will not file a case. They are not even agreeing to conduct an autopsy.”