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Mumbai: A distressing case from Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district has drawn attention to the brutal consequences of informal lending and the vulnerability of small farmers trapped in spiralling debt. A farmer from the region was allegedly compelled to travel abroad and sell one of his kidneys after a relatively small loan escalated into an unmanageable financial burden running into tens of lakhs of rupees.
Roshan Sadashiv Kude, a marginal farmer from Chandrapur, had been struggling with repeated agricultural losses due to crop failure and rising input costs. In an effort to stabilise his income, he decided to diversify into dairy farming, hoping it would provide a steady source of earnings. To fund this plan, he borrowed a cumulative sum of Rs 1 lakh from multiple private moneylenders in his area.
However, misfortune followed swiftly. Before the dairy venture could generate any returns, the cattle he had purchased reportedly died. At the same time, the crops on his land also failed, leaving him without income and deepening his dependence on borrowed money. According to information shared by the farmer, the interest charged by the lenders was exorbitant, amounting to Rs 10,000 per day, which caused the debt to snowball rapidly and eventually reach Rs 74 lakh.
As the pressure intensified, Kude and his family were allegedly subjected to constant harassment by the moneylenders. In desperation, he sold his agricultural land, his tractor and several household valuables in an attempt to clear the dues. Despite liquidating almost everything he owned, the repayments were insufficient to settle the inflated amount being demanded.
The situation took a far more alarming turn when one of the lenders allegedly suggested that Kude sell a kidney to repay the debt. Through an agent, he was taken to Kolkata for medical tests and was later sent to Cambodia, where the organ was reportedly removed and sold for Rs 8 lakh. The episode left him physically weakened and emotionally shattered.
Kude later approached the police to seek help, but he has claimed that no effective action was taken on his complaint, adding to his sense of despair and abandonment. His deteriorating condition and the lack of redress have now pushed him to the brink. He has publicly stated that if justice is not delivered, he and his family would resort to self immolation in front of the Mantralaya in Mumbai, the headquarters of the Maharashtra government.
The moneylenders named in the case are Kishore Bawankule, Manish Kalbande, Laxman Urkude, Pradeep Bawankule, Sanjay Ballarpure and Laxman Borkar, all residents of Brahmapuri town.
