03 September, 2026 – Joypurhat:- The entire bottle gourd crop of Hindu farmer Sharanya Chandra Barman was allegedly destroyed after unidentified individuals cut down all the plants in his field overnight in Khetlal, Joypurhat.
Sharanya Chandra and his family have reportedly been left in severe financial difficulty after taking a loan from an NGO to cultivate the crop. His wife, Madhabi Rani, broke down in tears beside the damaged field on Thursday morning, September 3.
At the Sonarpara agricultural field in Hatshahar village of Baratara Union, the bottle gourd plants cultivated on approximately 16 decimals of land were found cut and lying on the ground.
Sharanya said he had leased the 16-decimal plot and invested money borrowed from an NGO to grow bottle gourds. When he went to the field on Thursday morning, he initially noticed that the plants had fallen over. Upon closer inspection, he found that unidentified individuals had allegedly cut the plants at their bases sometime during the night.
The plants were destroyed before producing bottle gourds, resulting in the loss of his investment and months of work. He said he is now struggling to determine how he will repay the loan.
With tears in her eyes, Madhabi Rani said they had leased the land with borrowed money and alleged that someone had deliberately destroyed all their plants out of hostility. She said the family was now worried about meeting household expenses, including their daughter’s education costs.
Local farmer Mizanur Rahman called for those responsible to be identified quickly and brought to justice.
Khetlal Upazila Agriculture Officer Mallika Rani Sehanbish said there was no direct government compensation scheme available for the affected farmer, but officials would try to bring him under a government agricultural incentive program.
Khetlal Police Station Officer-in-Charge Muktarul Alam said that if a written complaint is filed, police will investigate the matter and take legal action.
