Jaswinder Singh, a farmer from Punjab, died by suicide following financial distress due to unsold paddy and debt of around 5 lakh rupees. His son Jagatvir Singh said Jaswinder had been troubled by the problem for over a week before taking poison.

Jagatvir said that his father drank poison, fainted on the spot and was taken to Patiala Hospital, where he died on the way.

Following the death, villagers called on the Punjab government to support the farmer’s family. However, police said they had not received any report or information about the suicide.

Punjab Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, in a press conference on Wednesday, claimed that the procurement process was smooth with 105 lakh MT of paddy being procured and loans of more than 22,000 crore rupees being given to farmers. Kataruchak alleged that the BJP was defaming the government.

BJP Chief Sunil Jakhar tweeted criticizing the Punjab government. “The news of farmer Jaswinder Singh committing suicide in Prime Minister’s home district Sangrur due to unsold paddy and debt is sad. This reflects the incompetence of the Punjab government and leaves farmers in a difficult situation in the markets,” Jakhar said.

Jakhar also commented, “Arvind Kejriwal is visiting Punjab. It would have been better if he had guided his government instead of giving advice from sarpanches tomorrow. His government’s incompetence is creating so much distress among farmers that they are being driven to suicide due to their unsold crops.”