Raiganj, April 22: A debt-ridden farmer committed suicide in a North Dinajpur village after a hailstorm destroyed his crops and the poll code of conduct ruled out immediate relief.

Bhuben Barman, 40, drank pesticide yesterday when his family was away. He had been depressed after panchayat officials told him that the government could not compensate him because the rural polls had been notified.

His son Sukhen said the family was neck-deep in debt. “We owned five bighas (1.5 acres), but my father sold two bighas to get my elder sister married a year ago. This year, he borrowed Rs 25,000 from a moneylender by mortgaging the rest of the land and planted wheat and corn,” Sukhen said.

The wheat was almost ready for harvest and the corn stalks were coming up well when the hailstorm struck on April 2.

“The wheat was completely damaged and the corn stalks were buried under the hailstones,” Sukhen said.

Bhuben tried his best to nurture the crops, but they were ruined.