Palakkad: A 53-year-old farmer from Kavundikkal in Attappadi was found hanging from a tree in his farmland on Monday.
The deceased, Krishnaswamy, had applied for the 'thandaper' (certificate showing the land ownership) for his land to obtain a loan for his daughter's education and to clear certain debts he incurred due to losses from farming.

"He left here on Saturday, reassuring us that the funds for our daughter's education can be arranged," his wife Kamala said.

According to Sentil Kumar, ward member of the Agali Grama Panchayat, Krishnaswamy applied for the 'thandaper' about six months ago, but he was forced to make multiple trips to the office concerned because officers said the application was missing, or they cited other excuses.

Kumar said that during Krishnaswamy's final visit, he was told that his inherited land was not under his name, stripping him of its ownership title. "He called me about the issue, but as I was not available then, I asked him to meet with a lawyer. I don't know what happened after that," Kumar said. 

His family alleged that denying the title deed pushed him to take the extreme step. Kamala said Agali village office told Krishnaswany that a part of the property he had inherited from his aunt was under the name of one Mohammad Ali. They denied him the 'thandaper' as he did not possess the entire plot. 

"When we inherited the land, about 2 cents of it was given for a path to the said person. But how did the whole plot come under their name?" asked Kamala.

Kumar alleged this was a frequent practice at the Attappadi Tribal Taluk Office, where officers frequently take bribes from the land mafia and alter land documents.

Following the incident, Congress workers protested at the civil station campus. Later, BJP workers joined them, demanding a thorough investigation and strict action against the officers involved. 

"Let the government take our land. But can they bring back the dead?" Kamala said. "Now I don't know how we will make ends meet and pay for my daughter's education," she said.

Onmanorama contacted the Agali village office, but officers denied the allegations of delay in processing his application. However, they declined to comment further.