Thrashed, fined for minor daughter’s ‘affair’, Bihar farmer commits suicide

A farmer in a village in Bihar’s Palamu district committed suicide allegedly after he was humiliated, beaten up, made to do sit-ups and forced to pay fine at a panchayat called by community members, who had earlier declared the farmer’s minor daughter to be “characterless”.

The panchayat meeting happened on Sunday. On Tuesday, the man was found hanging from a tree.

Branding the farmer’s daughter as characterless, the panchayat of Prajapati community members reportedly first imposed a cash penalty of ₹41,000 on the father and then asked him to visit Varanasi and Gaya for performing purification acts as per Hindu rituals.

When the father refused to accept the charge against his daughter, he was beaten up. Apparently out of fear, he accepted the allegations after the thrashing but expressed inability in paying the penalty due to his poor financial condition.

The community men relented and reduced the amount successively from 41,000 to 31,000, 21,000 and then finally settled on ₹11,000 and 51 sit-ups as the punishment.

The community members were particularly sore as the farmer’s minor daughter had an affair with a boy from another caste, which they considered as insult to their prestige.

Reluctantly obeying the diktat, the famer borrowed ₹7,000 on the spot from one of his relatives and handed it over to the community men, did sit-ups and left towards the jungles. His family members tried to stop him but he moved on.

“He was apparently highly disturbed. He did not stop. We thought he was going to arrange the rest of the money. But two days later, he was found him hanging. He ended his life out of humiliation at the hands of community members,” the farmer’s wife has stated in a complaint to the police.

After her father’s suicide, the daughter too jumped into a well. She was, however, rescued.

Ghuma Kisko, officer in-charge of the local police station, said, “Preliminary investigation shows the farmer committed suicide following humiliation by the community members. We have booked seven persons on the basis of the statement by the farmer’s wife. Raids are being conducted to nab them.”