Farmer commits suicide at a protest rally over land

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April 23, 2015 1:28 PM

The deceased, Gajendra Singh, from the western state of Rajasthan, was taken to hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

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An Indian farmer has committed suicide at a protest rally organised by chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal after hanging himself on a tree, BBC reports.

Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had staged the rally in Delhi to protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's controversial land acquisition bill which the government says will boost the economy, but opponents say will hurt the interests of farmers.

Witnesses say the farmer only attracted the crowd's attention when he climbed to the top of the tree and tied a scarf around his neck.

Although AAP volunteers reportedly tried to stop Singh from hanging himself, they could not reach him in time.

A suicide note, written in Hindi by Singh saying he had three children read:

"I was driven out of my home after my crops were destroyed [by bad weather]. Please tell me how I go home,"

Meanwhile, a local journalist who visited the farmer's home in his village in Rajasthan's Dausa district said his family appeared unaware of the news, though others in the village had learnt of the suicide from the television news.

Chief minister Kejriwal addressed the rally shortly after the man was taken to hospital and said he had been telling the police to save the farmer but they were "not in our control".

Also Prime Minister Modi tweeted that he was shocked by the death, saying:

"At no point must the hardworking farmer think he is alone. We are all together in creating a better tomorrow for the farmers of India,"

According to reports, over 300,000 Indian farmers have killed themselves because of debts or poor harvests since 1995.

However, correspondents say this is the most high-profile incident of its kind, taking place before thousands of people at a rally in Delhi.

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