LAHORE: Lahore court on Saturday approved a four-day physical remand of five individuals, including a project manager linked to the Data Darbar extension project, in connection with the deaths of a woman and her infant daughter who fell into an uncovered manhole.
The suspects were produced in handcuffs before Judicial Magistrate Shafqat Abbas. Police had requested a 14-day physical remand to carry out further interrogation; however, the court granted remand for four days.
The victims, Sadia and her 10-month-old daughter Rida Fatima, lost their lives on Wednesday after plunging into a manhole near Bhati Gate.
Following the tragic incident, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz ordered strict action, directing the dismissal and arrest of officials involved in the construction project, including the project director, project manager, and safety officer.
During court proceedings, the lawyer for the project director described the incident as unfortunate and maintained that his clients bore no responsibility. He informed the court that the construction company had provided a cheque of Rs10 million to the victims’ family as humanitarian assistance.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the judicial magistrate approved the four-day physical remand of the suspects.
Meanwhile, Section 316 of the Pakistan Penal Code has been added to the FIR registered on the complaint of the deceased woman’s father. Initially, police had applied Section 322 only, but authorities later confirmed the inclusion of Section 316. According to the DIG Investigation, the addition of this section will help police in preparing the challan against the accused.
Separately, an internal accountability probe has found Superintendent of Police Bilal and Station House Officer Zain guilty of torturing Ghulam Murtaza, the husband of the deceased woman.
The inquiry revealed that Murtaza was illegally detained for more than five hours at Bhati police station and was repeatedly pressured to falsely confess that he had killed his wife and daughter. He had earlier alleged that police attempted to portray the deaths as a murder rather than an accident.
Murtaza said officers kept forcing him to admit responsibility for the deaths. “They wanted me to say I killed my family,” he stated.
According to the inquiry report, CCTV footage from the SHO’s office corroborated claims of mistreatment. The report also noted that officers failed to question accompanying relatives and handled the case in an unprofessional manner.
The inquiry committee has recommended departmental action against both officers. The findings have been forwarded to the Punjab Inspector General, who will submit them to the chief minister for further action.
