Bhubaneswar, Oct. 18: A fact-finding committee of the BJD today started investigation into the farmer suicides in Jharsuguda and Sambalpur that recently triggered a battery of unpleasant events.

The committee — constituted on the direction of BJD chief Naveen Patnaik — comprises Rajya Sabha member Kishore Mohanty, Biju Krushak Janata Dal president Golak Bihari Nayak and party’s senior leader Hammid Hussein.

“We will investigate the suicides and submit a report to the chief minister Naveen Patnaik,” Mohanty said while monitoring crops and talking to farmers.

The debt-ridden farmers reportedly ended their lives over crop failure.

The Opposition had been demanding a probe into the incident.

Recently, agriculture deputy director D.C. Pal — assigned to probe the deaths — was assaulted by BJP members in Sambalpur. Two activists were later arrested.

Demanding immediate arrest of the other accused, agriculture officials had also ceased work across the state on Thursday.

Orissa Agriculture Service Association president Satya Narayan Mishra said over 4,000 employees of the agriculture department, including 1,900 village agriculture workers, 1,200 overseers and 1,000 officers, had joined the strike.

Agriculture minister Damodar Rout has directed revenue divisional commissioner (northern range) Jamil Ahmad to conduct a thorough probe into the incident.