Key Points

• Onion growerMir Ruhul Amin took his own life after he could no longer meet weekly NGO loan installments.
  • The installments totaled roughly Tk 4,500 a week; falling income made regular repayment impossible.
  • Advances from money‑lenders and wholesalers kept the installments going for a while, but even after selling his onions the debts remained unpaid.
  • Police have also cited “loan anxiety” as the primary motive behind the suicide.

The Bitter Reality of NGO Loans

Ruhul Amin’s wife, Mariam Begum, told the media that her husband had borrowed from three NGOs. Although he paid on time at first, the average weekly payment of Tk 4,500 proved unmanageable once onion prices fell. Local NGO officials acknowledged that his income could not keep up with the repayments.

The Advance‑Money Trap

A nephew speaking to reporters said Ruhul Amin routinely took cash advances from money‑lenders and commission agents just to cover his installments. He had leased 1 bigha and 5 katha* of land for onion cultivation, but the expected harvest income was unlikely to clear all his debts, deepening his despair.

*1 bigha ≈ 0.33 acre; 5 katha ≈ 0.08 acre.

Preliminary Police Findings

Officer‑in‑Charge Ziaur Rahman of Ishwardi Railway Police Station said that over the past two to three weeks Ruhul Amin had withdrawn from normal conversation and was also suffering health problems. Initial investigation suggests his lack of steady income and constant worry over loan repayments were the main factors leading to the suicide.