Crop loss due to floods, landslides: Kodagu farmer commits suicide

His daughter’s wedding was fixed on Oct.29

Somwarpet: A farmer, who had grown coffee and pepper after taking loans and suffered loss due to floods and landslides, committed suicide by shooting himself with a gun at Taltareshettalli village in Kodagu on Monday morning.

The deceased is Baggana P. Kushalappa (73). He shot himself on his chest in his bedroom at about 6.40 am on Monday.

Kushalappa had taken loans from District Co-operative Bank, Shanthalli Agricultural Credit Co-operative Society, private banks and had also taken loans from private financers to the tune of Rs.24 lakh for his coffee plantation and to grow pepper.

As he suffered huge loss due the natural calamity in Kodagu, he was unable to repay the loans and committed suicide, said deceased’s wife Kamala in her complaint to the Police.

The deceased has four children and had got his daughter married. Another daughter’s marriage was fixed on Oct.29 for which he had to arrange money. Even his wife Kamala was not keeping well and is undergoing dialysis for which he was supposed to arrange funds.

As he was in huge financial crisis, Kushalappa is said to have taken the extreme step.

Somwarpet Police, who have registered a case in this regard, are investigating.

Elderly flood victim dies of heart attack:  A 75-year-old flood victim, who had lost his house at the flood-ravaged Makkandur limits and was staying at his relative’s house, died of heart attack at his daughter’s house on Tuesday morning.

The deceased, identified as Ramanna, was a resident of Tanthipala Road in Makkandur village. He leaves behind his wife, two sons and a daughter. After he lost his house due to floods and landslides in August, he was staying at a Relief Centre and had come to his daughter’s house only on Sept.24, said his son Raghu. Last rites were held on Tuesday.