Farmer suicide: Prez's 'relative' ends life over loans

Akola: A farmer committed suicide by consuming poison at village Hingna Karegaon in Maharashtra's Khamgaon Taluka, the police said.

The middle-aged farmer, Rajendra Sinh Naralsinh Rajput consumed poison on May 21. He was admitted to a general hospital and was later shifted to a private clinic where he died around midnight on Friday, while undergoing treatment, the hospital sources said.

Rajput took the extreme step following constant crop failure and increasing burden of loans, the police said.

Reports said the deceased farmer was related to President Pratibha Patil. However, a close relative of the President denied the claim, when contacted by PTI.

Meanwhile, another farmer Eknath Namdeo Dandle (40) of village Lavna under Mehkar Taluka of bordering Buldhana district also committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence on Friday, the police said.

Dandle, too, ended his life due to the pressures of repaying loans after constant crop failure, the police added.