Farmer commits suicide in Mandya, protests erupt

On the day, when Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was scheduled to visit Shivalli in Dudda hobli of Mandya taluk, a farmer has committed suicide in a neighbouring village on Friday morning.

Hours after the news spread, hundreds of farmers took to the streets in protest against Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. The protesters also clashed with the police and several were taken into custody.

The victim was identified as Jayakumar (43), a resident of Kannahatti. The family members said, he was a cancer patient and had borrowed Rs 2 lakh for agriculture and cancer treatment.

Police have not registered a case, but the relatives and villagers are refusing to lift the body. They are demanding that district in-charge Minister C S Puttaraju visit the spot.