UP electricity officials suspended following suicide linked to billing issues

Minister of energy and urban development AK Sharma has directed the immediate suspension of Ashish Singh, junior engineer of the 33/11 kV Achalganj substation, and Ravi Yadav, subdivision officer of electricity distribution subdivision Banthra. This follows the case of Shubham, son of Mahadev, a resident of Kushalpur, Bethar in Unnao district, who allegedly committed suicide due to issues related to his electricity bill. The minister also offered condolences to the family.

Additionally, Suryaoday Kumar Verma, executive engineer of Unnao’s electricity distribution division-II, was also suspended by the orders of the managing director of Madhyanchal. Minister Sharma emphasised that while the district administration is conducting a detailed inquiry into the reasons behind the consumer’s death, preliminary findings suggest the involvement of the electricity personnel, leading to their suspension. Further action will be taken against any other officials found guilty in the ongoing investigation.

According to the report submitted by the chief engineer of distribution, the consumer, Shubham, had taken a 1-kilowatt power connection on March 10, 2022. However, due to an error, a provisional bill of ₹1,09,221 was issued in September 2024. Upon correction, the amount due was reduced to ₹16,377, which the consumer paid. Despite this, on October 7, 2024, another erroneous bill of ₹8,306 for a total of 33 units of electricity consumption was generated, which was approved on October 9 by the subdivision officer.