The family of a farmer from Rajasthan has claimed that he died of depression because he wasn't able to get a good price for the garlic he grew, a claim rejected by the local authorities.

In a police complaint filed by the son of the deceased — Ramkalyan Meena (60) — his father died of cardiac arrest yesterday caused by depression over low price of garlic.

Meena's son claimed that the deceased was cultivating garlic on a seven-bigha land that he had taken on rent and he had also taken a loan of around Rs 6 lakh, SHO, Harnawadasahaji police station, Ramhetar Pareta said.

According to the complaint, the debt coupled with the failure to get a good price for his produce was the reason behind Meena's depression, a resident of Guradi village in Baran district.

However, the police said a primary probe had revealed that Meena was neither a garlic cultivator nor under debt.

He worked as a labourer in an agriculture field and even though he owned a small piece of land, he had nothing to do with garlic farming, the SHO said.

If someone died naturally or accidentally, it was projected as a death caused by depression over low garlic prices to get compensation and financial aid and it had become a "tendency" of the villagers in the area, the SHO said.

He added that the doctors at the community health centre, where Meena was taken after he collapsed, said that he most likely died due to cardiac arrest.

The police are awaiting the post-mortem report, he added.