Farmer ends life during protest over dam in Maharashtra's Amravati

Amravati: A 44-year-old farmer died by suicide at the site of a protest, being held in connection with a dam, in Maharashtra’s Amravati district on Saturday, a police official said.

Superintendent of Police Vishal Anand told PTI that a group of farmers, apparently affected by the Upper Wardha dam, are staging an agitation at Morshi in the district over compensation.

The dam is located about 50 km from the district headquarters.

One of the protesting farmers hanged himself at the stage erected for the protest in the early hours of Saturday, said Anand.

After the farmer's suicide, the protesters blocked vehicular movement in the area, an official said.

In August 2023, a group of protesters had climbed onto the safety net set up on the first floor of Mantralaya in Mumbai demanding proper compensation for their land acquired for the Upper Wardha dam project.

The protesters from Morshi were demanding four acres of farmland for each villager whose land was acquired for the dam project and government jobs for the project-affected people, an official had said.