Lucknow, Feb 11 : An e-rickshaw driver allegedly ended his life in the Bazaar Khala area of Lucknow, hours after the Lucknow municipal corporation (LMC) officials from Zone 6 issued a house tax notice of Rs 57,000 to him and sealed a portion of his house.

Local residents alleged that the action of the municipal officials drove the man to suicide and demanded a case of murder be filed against them.

According to LMC records, the house is jointly owned by the victim, Sheetal Kashyap, and his brother Rajesh Kashyap.

A team from LMC Zone 6 visited the house on Saturday and put up a notice for the recovery of Rs 57,000 in house tax. They also sealed the lock on the gate.

Sheetal was not present at the house during this time. On his return, he was shocked to find the notice affixed to his house's gate and the lock sealed on a portion of the house. However, he did not engage with anyone and went inside the house.

'When Sheetal did not come out for quite some time, we became concerned. After he failed to respond to our calls and did not open the door, we contacted the police. He was found hanging from a peg on the wall with a rope tied around his neck. The police brought down the body and sent it for autopsy,' said the victim's brother, Rajesh.

He further claimed that his brother took his life due to the 'appalling and insensitive behavior' of the LMC officials from Zone 6.

'The residents in the colony pleaded with the LMC officials not to seal the portion of the house where Sheetal had parked his e-rickshaw, as the rickshaw was his only means of livelihood.

However, the LMC officials turned a deaf ear to their pleas,' he alleged in his complaint to the police.

Responding to the allegations, Manoj Yadav, the zonal officer of the area, said, 'We did not seal the home. Notices were served to over 50 defaulters in the area as part of a routine procedure. How can someone connect the serving of notices to a suicide attempt'?

Bazaar Khala SHO Santosh Kumar Arya said they have received the complaint on behalf of the victim's brother, and all allegations are under investigation.

/IANS