A 25-year-old farmer from Ahli Kalan village in Sultanpur Lodhi’s flood-affected Mand area attempted suicide after mounting debt and crop destruction pushed him into despair. The farmer, identified as Arshdeep Singh, had leased additional land to expand cultivation, but floods ravaged the entire 16 acres of paddy on September 10.
Arshdeep is currently under treatment in a hospital after consuming poison. His family revealed that they own 10 acres and had leased 6 more at an annual rent of nearly ₹60,000 per acre. The losses left him distressed about how to repay the loan, which reportedly ran into several lakhs. His mother, Ranjit Kaur, said he had withdrawn from daily life, refusing to eat or speak. “We told him many farmers were also suffering, but he took it to heart,” she said.
Another farmer from the village, Saminder Singh, added that Arshdeep’s family had suffered similar damage during the 2023 floods, but this time, the young farmer could not endure the burden. Fortunately, he is now reported to be out of danger.
This case highlights the ongoing crisis of flood-hit Punjab farmers, where repeated crop losses, high lease rents, and increasing debt are pushing many into extreme distress.
