A farmer attempted suicide by consuming poison at Minapur in Muzaffarpur district on Thursday, allegedly under duress to repay loan.

Anil Kumar (30) is now battling for his life at the Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur.

The incident occurred in Musalmanichak village under the jurisdiction of Minapur block of Muzaffarpur district on Thursday, around 85km north of Patna.

Residents said Anil and his son had gone to their fields, in the village around 15km north of Muzaffarpur town, to spray pesticide on cauliflower seeds. On reaching there they were shocked to see the seeds had dried up in scanty rain.

Upset over the loss, Anil consumed the pesticide there itself. His son too came in contact with the poisonous substance while trying to save his father. "Both were found lying unconscious in their agricultural field from where they were admitted to a primary health centre," said a Kaushalendra Jha of the same village.

The son has recovered.

According to Jha, Anil had taken Rs 30,000 as loan from a village resident to grow cauliflower. He had promised to repay the loan this year as the crops had got damaged for two consecutive years. "The family was under duress owing to loss of revenue for the second time," Jha added.

Anil's wife, Sunita Devi (25), said the family had incurred a loss of Rs 20,000 in 2015 and had failed to repay the loan. "Farming is the only source of livelihood for us. We survive on 10 cottahs of land, where we mainly grow vegetables," she said over phone from Muzaffarpur.

As the news spread, a team of officials, led by block agriculture officer Mahendra Sah and block horticulture officer Radheshyam Thakur, visited the village on Friday and inquired about the incident.

"We have ordered an investigation under what circumstances the farmer took his life," said Muzaffarpur district agriculture officer (DAO) Vikas Kumar.

The SKMCH superintendent, G.K. Thakur, said Anil's condition was stable.

Other residents said the entire block was reeling from severe drought owing to insufficient rain this year. Records showed only 17 of 115 tubewells were operational. Terming the incident as "unfortunate", Muzaffarpur district magistrate Dharmendra Singh said he has ordered a probe into the incident. "Let the report come. We will take action accordingly," he said.

Suicide by farmers because of financial burden is uncommon, but three such incidents were reported from Patna and Gaya districts last year. Ramesh Singh and Gajendra Singh allegedly killed themselves at Naubatpur and Maner and Bharat Sharma in his native Khijarsarai village in Gaya district.