In a shocking revelation that highlights the extreme distress in Maharashtra's farm belt, a senior Congress leader has exposed a sinister network of illegal moneylenders allegedly forcing farmers to sell their kidneys to repay crushing debts.
Organised Racket Targets Distressed Farmers
Senior Congress leader and Bramhapuri MLA, Vijay Wadettiwar, has sounded a grave alarm. He alleged that an organised syndicate of illegal loan sharks is actively operating across the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra. According to Wadettiwar, this network is pushing farmers who are trapped in debt to the horrific point of selling their own organs.
The Congress legislative party leader demanded an immediate and wide-ranging investigation. He called for district-wise probes to be led by senior IPS officers with the sole aim of dismantling this brutal racket. "This is not an isolated case but evidence of a larger racket operating in Maharashtra," Wadettiwar asserted while speaking to the media.
The Horrific Case of Roshan Kule from Chandrapur
To substantiate his grave allegations, Wadettiwar cited the harrowing ordeal of Roshan Kule, a farmer from the Nagbhid area in Chandrapur district. The case presents a terrifying picture of how usurious interest rates can destroy lives.
Kule's initial loan was a modest sum of just 1 lakh rupees. However, due to exorbitant and illegal interest rates, this debt ballooned into an impossible liability of 74 lakh rupees. Unable to repay, Kule was allegedly trafficked as part of the racket.
"He was taken to Cambodia, where his kidney was illegally removed," Wadettiwar revealed. The farmer was then reportedly sent to another country under the false pretext of providing employment. "He was assaulted there and his passport was confiscated," the Congress leader added.
Wadettiwar stated that upon learning of Kule's desperate condition, he personally intervened to secure the farmer's safe return to India. Demonstrating his pursuit for justice, the MLA revealed he called the Chandrapur Superintendent of Police five times, pressing for urgent action in the case.
Inadequate Response and a Scathing Indictment
While acknowledging that the state government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the matter, Wadettiwar slammed the move as grossly inadequate. He argued that the problem is too deep-rooted for a single SIT to handle.
"An SIT alone is not enough. This is a deep-rooted racket," he emphasized. He proposed that every district in Vidarbha and Marathwada must have a dedicated team headed by a senior IPS officer to properly expose and crush the network.
Launching a direct political attack, Wadettiwar held the state government responsible for creating an environment where such atrocities can occur. "This govt has created a situation where farmers are compelled to sell their kidneys. That is an indictment of this govt's priorities," he concluded, framing the issue as a catastrophic failure of governance and farmer welfare.
