For the first time in the history of the agrarian crisis in the Vidarbha region, a criminal case for harassment has been registered against a bank manager. Despite instructions from the state government, the manager denied fresh crop loans to a farmer, who then committed suicide. Additionally, five more farmers committed suicide within the last 48 hours taking the death toll to 687 since January 2015.
Santosh Kumar, the manager of Bank of Maharashtra, Morshi branch denied a fresh crop loan to the debt-ridden farmer Sudhir Vamanrao Gawande (42) of Nashirgpur village in Amravati on Friday. Sudhir went on to commit suicide on the same day at his home.
After intervention by Amravati collector Kiran Gitte, the Morshi police has filed an FIR against Santosh Kumar for allegedly abetting the suicide. Mr Kumar was suspended from his post on Saturday. Sharad Ingale, in charge of Morshi police station said, “Mr Kumar is absconding from Friday and we suspect that he may have left for Bihar, his home state.”
Prashant, Sudhir’s physically challenged elder brother, said that the deceased had gone to the bank on Friday and urged for the loan. “However, the bank manager denied it and said that Sudhir did not have the capacity to repay the loan. Sudhir was very disturbed after manager’s refusal and at 3.30 pm he committed suicide at home left behind his wife and four-month-old son,” said Prashant.
According to Prashant, the Gawande family owns an 18-acre-land. Sudhir had a debt of Rs 29,700 from the Morshi District Cooperative Bank in 2008. He could not repay it and the amount had increased to Rs 48,000 including interest on the principal amount. The Gawande family had also taken a loan of Rs 2,15,555 from Bank of Maharashtra under the name of their father Vamanrao.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in a meeting regarding the kharif season had instructed bankers to approve fresh crop loans and has warned that not a single application should be rejected.
However, activists maintain that nationalised banks are refusing farmers’ applications for crop loans. “The applications are piling up in nationalised banks and the bank officials are showing extreme reluctance to clear the loan proposals,” said Kishor Tiwari, activist and chief on Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti.
Mr Tiwari pointed out that the ground reality was so bad that farmers are in no position to meet basic stipulations like clearing part of the last three years’ restructured accumulated loans. “The only solution now to save farmers is granting total loan waiver of all old dues. Otherwise, we may find the distress levels spiralling and farmer suicides rising to unprecedented levels,” said Mr Tiwari.
Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, leader of Opposition in state Assembly too demanded complete waiver of loans. “Complete waiver of loans and financial support for the new season is the only solution to stop farmers from committing suicide,” said Mr Vikhe-Patil
Vasudev Khasale, Suresh Shinde and Kailas Jadhav from Yeotmal, Suresh Subhash Raut from Lakhanpur in Bhandara and Sudhir Gawande from Morshi in Amravati were the other farmers who committed suicide in the last 48 hours.
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