Two farmers’ suicide ‘for irrigation water’: Human chain demands justice
A human chain was formed in Nilphamari district sadar town on Saturday protesting the death of two famers of ethnic minority community by suicide “for not getting irrigation water” in Godagari upazila, Rajshahi.
Jatiya Krishak Samiti formed the human chain at Chowrangi intersection of the district town in the afternoon, reports UNB.
District Workers’ Party president Tapan Kumar Roy said two farmers from ethnic minority community - Abhinath Marandi and Rabi Marandi - recently committed suicide in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi as they didn’t get supply of irrigation water.
Shakhawat Hossain, irrigation pump operator of Barind Multipurpose Development Project in that area, did not supply them the water and that’s why they killed themselves, he said.
“We want the government takes necessary action to ensure exemplary punishment of those responsible for their death,” he said.
District Workers’ Party General Secretary Abed Ali and Krishak Samiti member Bulu Roy also spoke.
On 24 March afternoon, Rabi with his brother Abhinath Marandi, 30, took poison in front of Shakhawat Hossain, operator of a deep tube well operated under Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA).
They took the decision out of anger as Shakhawat was not giving them a serial number for a long time to get irrigation water supplied to their field in Iswarpur while their seedlings were drying out, alleged the family.
Abhinath Marandi died around 9:00pm after reaching home while Rabi died at 8:00pm on the following day while undergoing treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH), said Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani, director of RMCH.