A poultry farmer in Andhra Pradesh killed himself on Sunday evening after a truck, packed with garbage, was parked in front of his home in an attempt to shame him into paying taxes. Adinarayana, 45, reportedly owed four lakhs as property tax for his poultry farm located in Punganur town of Chittoor district of the state, the home turf of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu Municipal officials say the farmer had asked for an extension a few days ago for about a month ago, after he missed the deadline to pay the taxes. However, on Sunday, local municipal officials decided that he should be publicly highlighted as a tax defaulter. His family says he was so distraught that he hung himself at home. Government officials say municipal officers are also under pressure to ensure there are no defaulters and funds and taxes are collected on time, specially at a time when the state is in a severe financial bind. Adinarayana’s family members say they plan to file a case against the officials for driving the farmer to his death.
