A 58-year-old farmer in Chikkamagaluru district reportedly died by suicide, overwhelmed by debt and the fear of eviction from forest land he had encroached upon to grow coffee. Police confirmed this incident marks the second suicide linked to eviction notices issued in the area.
Jayapura police inspector Ambarish stated, “The farmer had borrowed ₹3 lakh from self-help groups and a local Grameena bank for his coffee cultivation. Unable to repay the loan and fearing eviction, he took this tragic step on Monday night. His body was discovered by his family on Tuesday morning.”
The farmer had encroached upon three acres of reserve forest land approximately ten years ago for his coffee crops.
Authorities have filed an unnatural death report and initiated an investigation into the matter.
Recently, local survey and revenue departments conducted an assessment of lake encroachments in Chikkamagaluru, resulting in eviction notices to several villagers occupying land around Kenchenahalli lake. The deceased had reportedly received notice for encroaching on 14 gunta of land vital for his coffee and pepper cultivation.
