A 16-year-old student in drought ridden-Maharashtra committed suicide because she couldn't afford a bus pass to go to school and was worried about the constant pressure on her father by to repay agricultural loans.
On October 14, NDTV reported, the 16-year-old went with her friends to her father's dried up tomato farm and allegedly drank pesticide kept in a shed. In a suicide note to a bank and private money lenders, the teen said: "Please don't bother my father, he will return your money."
In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the Shiv Sena has referred to the incident and lambasted the state's BJP government for being insensitive to the plight of farmers.
This year, 660 farmers have committed suicide and the Maharashtra government has been under fire for using a portion of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for those afflicted by the drought to sponsor a dance performance in Bangkok.
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