The two Santal farmers from the Godagari upazila in Rajshahi did not die of alcohol poisoning, says the autopsy report.
According to the report released on Saturday, the farmers-- Abhinath Marandi, 36, and his cousin Robi Marandi, 27, committed suicide by drinking pesticides.
Rajshahi Medical College’s forensic department head Kofil Uddin handed the report to the police.
Kofil Uddin said: “We had taken samples from the deceased. According to the viscera report, there is evidence of pesticide in the two deceased farmers’ bodies. A pesticide named 'Organo phosphorus compound' was found, which is used to kill insects on paddy fields. In the final report, we wrote that they died because of drinking poison.”
On March 23, after not getting irrigation water despite multiple requests, two farmers from the Nimghutu village inside Godagari upazila drank pesticide right beside the deep tube well.
Later, Abhinath passed away that very night while Robi breathed his last at the Rajshahi Medical College on March 25.
After their deaths, some of the locals tried to spin the story by alleging that they died due to alcohol poisoning.
The police later took a signature from Abhinath Marandi’s wife Rozina Hembrom on a blank paper and filed an unnatural death case.
However, the next day Rozina filed an abetment to suicide case against the deep well tube operator Sakhawat Hossain.