The father of two endosulfan victims allegedly committed suicide in Kasargod, Kerala due to a financial crisis.
Jaganath Poojary, 52, an employee of Vaninagar Primary Health Centre, was found hanging in a cashew nut tree near his house at Kinninagar in Enmakaje panchayat in Kasaragod district on Saturday night.
As per media reports, he had told his relatives that a huge debt was on him as he had spent a lot of money for the treatment and education of his daughter and son, who were endosulfan victims. He reportedly shared this to his relatives during a family function on Saturday evening and did not return home.
Jaganath’s son, doing a polytechnic course in Kasaragod and his daughter, an undergraduate student at Dakshina Kannada, are suffering from visual impairment. Both of them figure in the state government’s list of endosulfan victims. Jaganath is also survived by his wife Revathi who is a homemaker.
Two women endosulfan victims had died last week.
Narayani, 56, who had been undergoing treatment for cancer, died at the Pariyaram Medical college. Her relatives complained that she was facing a financial crisis due to the cost of treatment. She also figured in the official list of endosulfan victims. She was a resident of Pullur village in Kasaragod.
On November 6, another endosulfan victim Rajeevi, 62, hanged herself at her residence near Mulleria in Kasaragod. She had been suffering from body ache for a long time and her ailment was unidentified. Relatives said that she was depressed due to lack of money for treatment.