RTI reveals fresh suicides

In a response to a petition filed under the RTI Act by Bharatsinh Jhala, an Ahmedabad-based activist...

In a response to a petition filed under the RTI Act by Bharatsinh Jhala, an Ahmedabad-based activist, Bhavnagar police have put on record that at least 23 farmers committed suicide in the district between January 2003 and April 2007. It also stated that at least one farmer, Kawa Begad from Madia in Bhavnagar taluka, committed suicide due to crop failure in 2006.

The families of Mansukh Mer and Dhana Gohil, farmers from the same village, told The Indian Express during a visit there last month, that the two had committed suicide after crop failure last year. Police records, however, mentions Kawa Begad as the only farmer from the district to have killed himself following crop failure.

Meanwhile, with fresh data from Bhavnagar made available, the number of farmers committing suicide in Gujarat in this period has touched 389. The number is likely to cross the 400-mark once information on the same from districts of Banaskantha, Narmada and Dahod are provided.

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It may also be noted here that in a response to the RTI application filed by Jhala, Gujarat Police on August 23 admitted that at least 366 farmers had committed suicide across 15 districts between January 1, 2003, and April 30, 2007. At least 16 of them had killed themselves either for financial reasons or for crop failure. The reply had also mentioned that there was “nil information” on Banaskantha, Bhavnagar, Narmada and Dahod districts.

However, on Thursday, during the second hearing on the petition before the State Information Commission, police handed over the information on Bhavnagar district.

Meanwhile, the State Information Commission has directed the Gujarat Police to update information and fill the gaps before the next hearing on September 10. State Information Commissioner R N Das said that while the police made some serious efforts in collecting the data, the information provided to the applicant does not always mention the reasons for suicide and other details like address of the deceased. “The police department has been asked to update these information and provide the same to Jhala,” Das said.

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