Fearing crop loss, farmer kills self in Gujarat
Ahmedabad, Oct 8: A 40-year-old farmer from Gujarat allegedly committed suicide Sunday night by hanging himself in Botad district apparently over the fear of losing his crop in view of weak monsoon, the police said Monday.
Relatives of the deceased Kalu Chauhan told police that he was also worried over upcoming marriage of his daughter, a police official said.
Chauhan was a resident of Gundala village in the district, over 150 kms away from here.
The farmer allegedly hanged himself by using rope in a small room at the farm of one Ramesh Chavda who had rented his 40 bigha land to the deceased for sowing cotton, he said.
"Chauhan's relatives told police that he was afraid of losing his crop due to weak monsoon," Gadhada police station sub-inspector Vimal Dhorda said, adding that the deceased also owned a small tract of land.
The police officer said they are investigating the case from various angles because, as per investigation, Chauhan had not shared his apprehension over crop loss with anybody before taking the extreme step.
"His relatives claimed that Chauhan committed suicide fearing that he would incur huge loss due to crop failure.
However, since Chauhan never shared such feelings with anyone before hanging himself, we are investigating this case from all angles. He was a seasoned farmer and never told anyone that he was under any stress," the officer added.
Chauhan's brother Haresh told reporters that the deceased was tense due to weak monsoon.
"My brother feared that his crop will not survive due to weak monsoon, as we do not have any source of irrigation.
He was also worried because of upcoming marriage of his daughter. These are the reasons behind his suicide," claimed Haresh.
Last month, a farmer from Amreli district had allegedly committed suicide over crop loss.
As per the latest figures released by the state government, Gujarat is staring at water scarcity as it had received just 76.71 per cent of average rainfall this monsoon.
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
