Father of two commits suicide over hefty electricity bill in Punjab

A financially distressed man took his own life by hanging from a ceiling fan due to an inability to pay a hefty electricity bill in Dhok Sadu area in Taxila, it emerged on Thursday.

According to family sources,  the deceased, identified as Malik Tahir, had a heated argument with his siblings regarding the unpaid electric bill, which turned into a serious dispute.

The victim, who is a father of two, had been unemployed for the past four months. The deadline for the payment of electricity bill had already passed, which caused him more stress.

Tahir was experiencing financial difficulties and committed suicide on Wednesday by hanging himself from a ceiling fan.

Later, the local police handed over the body to the heirs after the post-mortem at Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

Taxila police have registered a case and started further investigation into the matter.

Skyrocketing electricity bills have become a severe financial burden for the middle class, leading to widespread public outcry over exorbitant power bills.

Recently, an elderly woman from Gujranwala who saved money for her surgery committed suicide after receiving a bill for Rs10,000.

Jamaat-e-Islami is currently staging a sit-in in Rawalpindi to protest the government's electricity taxes and demand to curb rising power costs.