Three Ahmednagar farmers commit suicide

Ahmednagar: Three farmers allegedly committed suicide in separate incidents reportedly over crop failure due to prevailing drought situation, in Rahuri tehsil of Ahmednagar district, police said on Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Ashok S Kale (45), Rajendra Todmal (42) and Balasaheb Sathe (30), all of them onion producers, police said.

Kale jumped into a well in his farm in Brahman Gaon Bhand village while Todmal hanged himself from a tree in his farm in Lakh village and Sathe consumed poison in his house in Pathare village, they said.

All the three farmers took the extreme step yesterday after their onion crop failed due to water shortage in the region, police said.

The villages to which the deceased belonged are on the banks of Pravara river, whose water has been reserved for the neighbouring Marathwada region by the state government, local leaders alleged.

When contacted, Rahuri MLA Shivaji Kardile said he would visit the area and the bereaved families today.