Demand for irrigation denied, Maharashtra farmer kills self

Dhananjay Sable / TNN / Mar 14, 2025, 03:07 IST

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Kailash Nagare, a 2020 Young Farmer Award recipient, died by suicide, citing government negligence in a note he left behind. His death, attributed to unaddressed irrigation issues, led to significant unrest among farmers in his village, with demands for immediate government response. He is survived by his family.

Demand for irrigation denied, Maharashtra farmer kills self

Kailash Arjun Nagare

BULDHANA/DEULGAON RAJA: Kailash Arjun Nagare received the Maharashtra govt’s Young Farmer Award in 2020. On Thursday he was dead, by suicide. He blamed the state govt in a note he left behind. Nagare (43) had consumed poison a day before Holi. His body was found in his field in Shivni Armal village on Thursday morning.
A three-page suicide note found in Nagare’s pocket said: “The administration is ignoring farmers’ issues. Do not remove my body until our demands are met.”
Nagare had been demanding irrigation water for 14 villages from Khadakpurna reservoir for many years and last year had staged a 10-day hunger strike for his demands. However, govt inaction left him disheartened. Nagare was a well-known farmer leader in the region.
His death sparked unrest in the village, with thousands of farmers raising slogans against the administration. The protesters declared that they would not allow the body to be taken for a postmortem unless the guardian minister or district collector visited the site and gave concrete assurances.

The deceased farmer’s wife, Sushila Nagare, who broke down while speaking to the media, said, “My husband took this step because of govt’s negligence. He fought for farmers’ rights, but the administration did nothing. Had they acted in time, he would still be alive today.”
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal launched a scathing attack on Mahayuti govt and CM Devendra Fadnavis. “This govt is busy playing Hindu-Muslim politics while ignoring real farmer issues. Na- gare was fighting for farmers’ rights, but instead of addressing his concerns the govt forced him to take his own life.” Buldhana’s Kranti Kisan Sangathan leader Ravikant Tupkar called the incident a direct consequence of govt failure.
“This is not suicide but a murder due to govt policies. Instead of supporting farmers, govt is pushing them towards death. We demand that the govt be held accountable and booked for murder.” Nagare is survived by his father, wife, and three children.

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