Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:A 48-year-old farmer from Salwa village in Kalamnuri taluka of Hingoli district died by suicide in his farmland on Tuesday night because of alleged severe stress to repay a crop loan.The deceased farmer was identified as Dattarao Digambar Makhne (48). Kalamnuri police inspector Premprakash Makode said, “Makhne is survived by his wife, a son in 20s and a married daughter. His family members told us that he had a crop loan of over Rs1 lakh and was under stress over not being able to repay it. We have registered an accidental death case and the matter is being probed.”Makhne owned around 2.5 acres of farmland in Salwa and was entirely dependent on agriculture for his family’s livelihood. The police said he had taken a crop loan from a nationalised bank’s Kalamnuri for farming activities.Preliminary information suggested that Makhne suffered heavy crop loss during last year’s kharif season because of excessive rainfall. The rabi season also failed to generate adequate returns, worsening his financial condition and making it difficult for him to repay the loan.Makhane’s family members told the police that he had been under severe stress for the past few days. He reportedly told his family members on Tuesday night that he was going to the farm, but did not return home.Worried relatives later went searching for him in the field, where they found his charred body near a farm structure. His cellphone, slippers and a water bottle were found nearby.
