Rabi too commits suicide for irrigation water: Police

Rabi Marandi, the farmer of Nimghatu village under Rajshahi’s Godagari upazila, had committed suicide only after failing to get irrigation water, according to the charge sheet submitted by police.

Godagari police station members revealed this on Friday.

After investigating Rabi Marandi’s suicide provocation case, the charge sheet was submitted to a court in Godagari on 29 April, police sources said.

The court accepted the charge sheet on 8 May. Earlier, police submitted the charge sheet in Abhinath Marandi’s suicide provocation case on 27 May.

Qamrul Islam, acting officer-in-charge of Godagari police station said, tub-well operator Sakhawat Hossain was found involved in the investigations of Abhinath and Rabi Marandi’s suicide provocation cases.

The issue of those two farmers committing suicide drinking poison after failing to get irrigation water also surfaced in the investigation. Two separate charge sheets have been submitted in the court in this regard, he added.

According to police and case statements, it was found, Sakhawat Hossain, the operator of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA)’s deep tube-well didn’t provide those two farmers with irrigation water despite their paddy fields dried terribly.

He used to provide water to his close acquaintances first and refuse farmers of ethnic minority community.

Being frustrated with such treatment Santal farmers Abhinath Marandi and his cousin Rabi Marandi of Nimghatu village consumed poison on 23 march.

Abhinath died on the same night while Rabi died a day after while undergoing treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

In this connection two separate suicide provocation cases were filed on behalf of those two families.

Initially rumours of those two farmers dying from drinking local wine were being spread around. Even police had filed general diary at first.

However, their autopsy report stated that they had died from poison reaction. Later, police submitted charge sheets of those two cases in the court.

Sakhawat Hossain, operator of BMDA’s deep tube-well and president of Ward Krishak League unit was arrested after 11 days of the tragic incident.

BMDA also terminated him on the same day. He is in jail now. Police have named Sakhawat Hossain as the sole accused in the charge sheets.