UP: Upset Over Crop Damage by Stray Cattle, Debt-ridden Farmer Kills Himself in Banda

Lucknow: Dejected over extensive loss of crops by stray cattle, a farmer in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district allegedly died by suicide on Friday, police said. According to police, Lalak Singh (52) died at his home in Nandna village under Atarra tehsil. 

Singh, who has two minor children, reportedly had a pending bank loan of around Rs 1 lakh and was depending on his crop to repay the debt. He was said to be upset after stray cows and calves damaged his crop of fine variety "moong" (a pulse) cultivated in about six bighas of land. He had invested around Rs 70,000 on the crop and had incurred a huge loss after the stray animals ate up his crop. 

According to his family members, Singh used to spend most of his time in the fields protecting the crop from stray cattle.

On Friday morning, after keeping awake the whole night while keeping a vigil on stray cattle, Singh came home and ended his life. His nephew, Lavlesh, said the reason behind Singh taking the extreme step was that his entire crop had been trampled upon and destroyed by over a dozen stray cattle, which probably really upset him, as he was debt-ridden.  

"Soon after my uncle return from the field, he kept my aunt busy in the kitchen and went directly in his room. Later, when my aunt reached his room, she found him with a noose. The family members tried to loosen the noose and we rushed him to hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead," Lavlesh told NewsClick. 

He said Lalak Singh was facing severe financial difficulties amid the lockdown. He was in debt of around Rs 100,000 which he took from a bank. Since he was the only breadwinner, he was unable to bear the crop loss caused by stray cattle.”.  

Saurabh Shukla, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Atarra, said: "We have received information regarding the death of a farmer who committed suicide following crop loss caused by stray animals. A naib tehsildar was sent to meet the family and suitable action will be taken on the basis of the report." He confirmed that the deceased farmer had taken a loan of Rs 1 lakh from a bank but there was “no pressure” on him for repayment.

Meanwhile, the villagers have appealed to the district administration to provide financial assistance to the family immediately.  

In January, a 32-year-old farmer had died by suicide after stray animals caused large-scale damage to his mustard crop on a rented plot at Nagla Vishnu village under Kheragarh sub-division. He, too, had taken a bank loan of Rs 1 lakh and had to repay the loan. 

STRAY CATTLE MENACE GIVING SLEEPLESS NIGHTS TO FARMERS 

The problem of stray animals damaging crops looms large in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh where farmers have been hiring men to guard their fields. They have been hoping for better aid for their community from the government. The farmers' movement at the Ghazipur border, too, has been continuously flagging the issue of stray cattle menace, other than repeal of the three agri laws.  

Farmers in UP are upset that crop damage by stay cattle is not being addressed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and claim that whatever measures taken so far have “failed miserably”. They believe that the menace of stray animals and a low-profit margin in agriculture are much bigger issues at present, and want the government to ensure protection of their crops from animals. 

"Ever since the government banned cow slaughter in the state, farmers have been facing this (stray cattle menace) trouble," Prem Singh, an agricultural expert based in Banda, told NewsClick.

He said the state government should either open slaughterhouses or allot at least 10% land in every village for stray animals so that they can graze there freely. This will benefit not only stray animals but farmers, too, from the menace. 

Singh said that it was mainly stray cows and calves that were destroying crops. Commenting on the UP government’s gaushala scheme, he said cows were in any case dying: "In the cowshed, the animals are dying slowly of hunger and thirst, while in slaughterhouse, they die in a jiffy. That's the only difference." 

Singh said cow-shelters or gaushala for stray animals set up by the state government were more like slaughterhouses without machines, adding that both the government and administration as “miserably failed” to tackle the issue since it requires manpower, fodder, water supply etc., which they could not provide in these shelters. 

Farmer leader Shyam Singh Chahar of Agra, a region in Western Uttar Pradesh highly affected by stray animal menace, told NewsClick: "The government does not want to solve the problem because they get votes in the name of cow, and since Assembly elections are round the corner, they will project controlling stray cattle menace as their success story. But, the ground reality is that farmers have been forced to die by suicide due to stray animals."

Chahar went on to add: “Farmers are already suffering a financial crisis as they are not able to get suitable prices for their crops. Now, they are left to suffer from crop loss by stray cattle. There is nothing on the ground to tackle such issues."

Pointing out the key challenges in government-run cow shelters in the state, agriculture experts said these shelters do not receive fodder from the government and animals are not allowed to graze on the proper land. Besides, staff crunch is also an issue that needs to be tackled.