Farmer takes his own life at protest against land laws in New Delhi

An Indian farmer died by suicide in New Delhi yesterday by hanging himself from a tree at a political rally being held to protest against the federal governments controversial Land Acquisition Bill.

Police said Gajendra Singh (42) from western Rajasthan state, wearing a colourful turban, climbed a tree at the site of the rally adjoining India’s parliament and hanged himself using a towel.

Members of the Aam Aadmi or Common Man’s Party, which rules Delhi and was holding the rally, tried rescuing Singh but was unable to reach him in time.

Suicide note

Police said a suicide note recovered from Singh said he had been forced to leave his land after his crop was destroyed by unseasonable rain that has wreaked havoc across northern

India

ahead of the wheat harvest.

“Please tell me how I can go home now,” wrote Singh, the father of three young children.

Singh’s family learned of his death from television news channels, some of which had filmed his suicide.

The rally was addressed by Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, to protest against prime minister Narendra Modi’s contentious land-acquisition Bill.

Draconian Bill

Opposition parties have called it “draconian” as it can arbitrarily appropriate any farmer’s land under a slew of incontestable ordnances.

The Bill was passed in the lower house of parliament, where Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is in a majority, but was not approved by the Upper House, where it is in the minority.

Since 1995, more than 300,000 Indian farmers have died by suicide, due to mounting debts, poor harvest and a near absence of crop insurance.

Rising fertiliser costs, the fall in prices of agricultural produce, spurious seeds and pesticides and non-payment of relief are other factors responsible for the suicides.