By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Farmer Dharma Patil, who had attempted suicide at Mantralaya (the state secretariat) on January 22 by consuming poison, died while undergoing treatment at the state-run sir JJ Hopsital here late on Sunday night.

The 84-year-old farmer from the Vikhran village of Dhule district of North Maharashtra was upset over inadequate compensation for his land that was acquired for a thermal power plant for past three months.

Dharma's son Narendra had told the media that they were offered on Rs 4 lakh for their 5 acres of land even while their neighbors received about a crore rupees for a smaller piece of land.

After Dharma consumed some poisonous chemical at Mantralaya last Monday, he was immediately admitted to the state-run JJ hospital. The state government had also offered Rs 15 lakh of ex-gratia but the family had refused it saying that they want adequate compensation for their acquired land and nothing else.

The hospital officials said that the autopsy has been conducted and the body would be handed over to the relatives of the farmer. However, Narendra Patil said that the family members will not accept the body until the state government gives a written assurance granting a "martyred status" to the deceased and proper compensation for the five acre land.

Meanwhile, the opposition came down heavily against the state government following the incident.

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde said despite the farmer killing himself in Mantralaya, "the government did not feel like giving him justice. Only this government is to be blamed for the farmer's death."

Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the farmer died due to "the government apathy and the anti-farmer policies. The government is yet to wake up even after thousands of farmers have ended their lives."