68-year-old Kerala tribal man dies by suicide after bank loan notice, sparking protests

Wayanad, Sep 23
A 68-year-old tribal man of a tribal settlement in Wayanad district in Kerala died by suicide after allegedly receiving a court notice for a 20-year-old bank loan default, sparking protests by tribal groups, the police said on Tuesday.

The victim, identified as Shankarankutty, a resident of Nenmeni in the Ambukuthi Kaippancheri settlement, was found hanging from a tree in a coffee plantation near his home late on Monday night, the police said.

The Ambalavayal police, whose jurisdiction covers his settlement, said that Shankarankutty had been missing since Monday morning and was found dead that night during a search.

His suicide reportedly sparked protests by tribal rights activists and local politicians in Batheri demanding justice for the victim.

Shankarankutty had been under mental stress after receiving a notice from the Batheri Munsif Court to repay the loan

According to his relatives, the notice related to a Rs 25,000 loan that he had taken from the Sulthan Batheri Grameen Bank around two decades ago. However, Shankarankutty could not repay the loan installments regularly due to poor financial condition.

As a result, the outstanding debt, including interest, had reportedly risen to over Rs 2 lakh, far beyond what he could manage, adding immense financial pressure on him.

The bank later approached the court, which directed Shankarankutty to appear in connection with the loan repayment issue.

After receiving the court notice, he reportedly fell into depression and at one point told his son, Babu, that he might leave his native place for somewhere else, as he was unable to repay the loan amount.

After completing the inquest and other formalities, the police shifted his body to the Batheri Taluk Hospital.

This tragedy in Wayanad is not an isolated case, but part of a worrying pattern of similar incidents reported across the state in recent years. In July, a 46-year-old man, Madhu, in Kochi, was found dead, with relatives claiming that the pressure from bank loan recovery proceedings had driven him to suicide.

In May this year, a family of four in Thiruvananthapuram -- Anil Kumar (55), wife Sheeja (50), and their two young sons, Ashwin (25) and Akash (22) -- was found dead, with police reports citing financial distress and overwhelming debt as the primary cause.