Debt-ridden TN farmers protest in Delhi with skulls

NEW DELHI: In a bid to protest the plight of farmers in Tamil Nadu, several protestors have resorted to sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi with skulls. V Rajalakshmi, 60, sits with eight skulls, a harsh reminder of the agrarian crisis in the state. She claims they are the remains of farmers in Tamil Nadu, who committed suicide. The Cauvery basin has almost run dry due to lack of rain. Another protestor, Perumal, said the farmers' collective in the Cauvery delta decided to exhume the skulls of dead farmers as a symbol of their desperation. “The Palar river is drying up, and the wells bored by beverage companies are playing havoc with the water situation. Besides, input costs have increased heavily,” he said. The protesters demand action to “prevent TN from turning into a desert”.