According to Visavadar police, Dilsukh Koli (22) and Bhupat Koli (20) were found dead on Monday in an agriculture field on the outskirts of the village near Visavadar town.

The police said the two friends worked as diamond polishers and were unemployed for the last couple of days. They had recently returned from Surat and had begun work as agricultural labourers. But after they didn’t get work for several days, they became depressed and committed suicide. The two belong to the Koli community and their suicide has sent shockwaves within the small village.

The death toll among diamond workers in Junagadh, following the meltdown in the diamond industry, has now risen to five.

Two more suicides were also reported in Palanpur within two days. Ramjibhai Thakore consumed poison on Friday, while Dalpatbhai Rawal (35) jumped in front of a train on Sunday.

A total of 2.5 lakh diamond workers belong to Banaskantha.

With suicides by jobless workers escalating with each passing day, the Diamond Workers Association in Banaskantha, on Tuesday, declared to boycott the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The decision was announced by association president Ashok Purohit at the ‘Shok Sabha’ of Thakore and Rawal.