LAHORE: The husband of a woman who, along with her 10-month-old daughter, died after falling into an open manhole near Bhati Gate, Lahore, accused senior police officers of abuse and coercion. Ghulam Murtaza claimed he was tortured and pressured to confess to murdering his wife, Sadia.
Murtaza said that Superintendent Bilal and Station House Officer Zain dismissed his account and forced him to admit to a crime he didn’t commit. He said his cousin, Tanveer, was also detained during the investigation. Denying any domestic conflict, Murtaza stated the incident occurred while they were out walking, and officials seized his phone despite his repeated explanations.
The tragedy gained attention after Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz ordered arrests and dismissals of officials responsible for the area’s construction safety lapses. During an emergency meeting, she held contractors, consultants, and authorities like LDA and WASA accountable for negligence. She condemned authorities for treating Murtaza as a suspect instead of helping the grieving family and refuted doubts about Sadia’s fall through CCTV evidence.
As a result, disciplinary action was initiated: the Bhati Gate station house officer was suspended, and the deputy superintendent faced a show-cause notice. An internal inquiry was launched to review police handling of the incident. Officials pledged to investigate both the circumstances of the accident and the custody of Murtaza and his cousin.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari highlighted that initial rescue reports came from Sadia’s father, who first contacted law enforcement. She noted Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s active monitoring of the case and expressed condolences for the tragedy.
An inquiry team has 48 hours to report on the incident, aiming to determine accountability for those responsible for this preventable loss.
