Farmer found hanging from tree; kin blame revenue dept

PALAKKAD: A 53-year-old farmer who had been missing since Sunday was found hanging from a tree on his farmland at Kavundikkal in Attappadi on Monday morning, the police said. The deceased has been identified as Krishnaswamy, after local residents found his body. His death has triggered outrage in the community, with family members alleging that persistent delays by the revenue department in issuing his thandaper (land ownership certificate) drove him to suicide. The family was preparing to file a complaint when Krishnaswamys body was found, an officer with the Agali police station said. Relatives and local politicians claimed that Krishnaswamy had been visiting the village office for the past six months, seeking the thandapper for his three acres of land but was repeatedly turned away. He was heartbroken and exhausted. Krishnaswamy Every time he went there, officials just told him to come again later, said Senthilkumar, the Agali panchayat member from Kavundikkal ward. Police said an investigation is under way to verify whether the delay in issuing the land record led to the farmers death. The revenue department, however, has refuted the allegations of negligence or inordinate delay. Officials maintained that there was no unusual hold-up in processing the farmers application and that technical issues related to the digital land record system were being resolved. The department has expressed regret over the incident and promised to take steps to expedite pending thandaper applications in the region. The Palakkad district administration has also ordered a preliminary inquiry to verify whether administrative lapses or procedural delays played any role in the tragedy.