LAHORE, Jan 01 (Alliance News): A Lahore court on Saturday approved a four-day physical remand of five suspects, including a project manager of a company working on the Data Darbar extension project, in connection with the deaths of a woman and her infant daughter who fell into an uncovered manhole near Bhati Gate.
Police produced the handcuffed suspects before Judicial Magistrate Shafqat Abbas and requested a 14-day physical remand for interrogation. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted a four-day remand and directed police to complete investigations within the stipulated period.
The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday when Sadia and her 10-month-old daughter, Rida Fatima, lost their lives after falling into an open manhole in the provincial capital. The incident sparked public outrage and raised serious questions about safety measures at ongoing development projects in Lahore.
Following the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz ordered the dismissal and arrest of officials associated with the project, including the project director, project manager and safety in charge, citing gross negligence and failure to ensure public safety.
During the court proceedings, counsel for the project director termed the incident unfortunate and argued that his clients were not directly responsible. He informed the court that the company had provided a cheque of Rs10 million to the victims’ family as humanitarian compensation.
Meanwhile, police have added Section 316 (causing death of a child by act amounting to culpable homicide) of the Pakistan Penal Code to the FIR, which was initially registered under Section 322. Authorities said the inclusion of Section 316 would strengthen the case and assist in the submission of a comprehensive challan against the accused.
Deputy Inspector General (Investigation) confirmed that the application of the additional legal provision would help ensure proper prosecution and accountability in the case.
Separately, an internal accountability inquiry has found Superintendent of Police (SP) Bilal and Station House Officer (SHO) Zain guilty of torturing Ghulam Murtaza, the husband of the deceased woman. According to the inquiry report, Murtaza was illegally detained for over five hours and was repeatedly pressured to falsely confess that he had killed his wife and daughter.
The report stated that CCTV footage from the SHO’s office corroborated allegations of mistreatment and revealed unprofessional handling of the case. It further noted that police failed to question relatives present with Murtaza during his detention.
The inquiry committee has recommended departmental action against both officers. The report has been forwarded to the Punjab Inspector General of Police, who will submit it to the chief minister for further action.
The incident has renewed debate over public safety, accountability of development authorities and police conduct, with rights groups calling for strict punishment of all those found responsible.
