According to the RTI report, almost 122 farmers have committed suicide in West Bengal’s West Medinipur District in 2021, but according to NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau), no farmer has suicide as per their reports.
The West Bengal government claims that the income of the farmers in the state has increased three times compared to other states and the number of the suicide of farmers is zero. This has been claimed for the past few years. But on the other hand, the statistics which have been taken out by the West Bengal government in response to an RTI query show different data.
Farmer’s Condition In West Bengal
An official document is given by the West Bengal government which shows that in 2021 122 people committed suicide related to the agriculture sector in Medinipur District alone. In 2022 34 farmers have suicide till now in the same district. All the information was provided by the Public State Information Officer of the state and the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Paschim Medinipur District, it was done in the response and query of social and law expert Biswanath Goswami.
As per the sources of the official response, a huge number of farmers and agriculture-dependent people living near the Ghatal Police station area in the Medinipur district have committed suicide. Last year around 63 people committed suicide in the same place and 13 more people this year. The number of farmer suicide increased to 14 last year after Ghatal and so far, 5 people have committed suicide this year. Last year near the Anandapur police station area 10 people have commit suicide and two this year. Keshpur region of the same district witnessed 8 people commit suicide and 5 this year.
This was a surprising fact for the people in West Bengal to witness such a huge number of suicides in the West Medinipur district alone related to the agriculture sector and how after all this report how the NCRB shows the report of suicide committed is zero.
RTI activist Biswanath Goswami said that “Crime in West Bengal is not properly recorded. This incident shows that the rigging of registered crime data is horrendously true. It is clear to see the crime statistics of the last ten years. Farmer suicide is a very big issue. Even if a mobile phone is stolen, the police report it as lost. More than 25-30 percent of reported cases of cybercrime are not converted into an FIR”.
The opposition has asked whether the family will get any compensation from the state government and whether the data on the farmer’s suicide is going to be officially registered.
Read more: In FY23, direct tax revenue increased by 30% to Rs 8.36 trillion
