india

Updated: Jan 22, 2018 07:20 IST

Loan recovery agents allegedly crushed a Dalit farmer under a tractor in Sitapur on Saturday when he failed to deposit an arrear of the loan he had taken from a finance company, police quoted the victim’s brother as saying.

Assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Sitapur, Martand Prakash Singh said an FIR had been lodged against five recovery agents of the finance company.

Police said Gyan Chandra, 45, of Bhauri village in Sitapur had taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh from a finance firm in 2015 to purchase a tractor. He paid back Rs 4 lakh till December 2017 and assured the company that he would pay the remaining amount soon.

His wife Gyanwati said he had deposited an instalment of Rs 35,000 in the first week of January too but the company issued a recovery notice. Police said the agents reached Gyan Chandra’s house on Saturday to collect the dues.

According to Om Prakash, brother of Gyan Chandra, when his family members told the agents that he was in the field of a panchayat member with the tractor, they reached there and asked him to either pay the due amount or hand over the tractor to them.

Gyan Chandra told the agents that he would pay Rs 65,000 by January-end, said Om Prakash.

He said the agents refused to entertain his brother’s plea and pulled him down after snatching the tractor’s key.

Gyan Chandra held on to the tractor’s bonnet but they started the vehicle, dragging him along , Om Prakash said and added: “Gyan Chandra’s hand slipped suddenly from the bonnet and he came under the wheels of the tractor and died on the spot.”

Angry over the death, the villagers staged a dharna and did not allow police to send the body for post-mortem examination. The villagers called off their agitation after senior officials of the district and police administration reached the village and assured action against the culprits.