They had initially refused to go down the 10-foot manhole, but the chief inspector had threatened to fire them. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
A five-year-old boy died after falling into an uncovered manhole in Lahore’s Sundar area on Tuesday, officials said.
The victim, identified as Hassan Amir, was playing in a street near Rana Town, behind a mosque, when he accidentally fell into a drain, according to police and the child’s father. Residents rushed to the scene and managed to pull the child out before being taken to hospital. However, the doctors could not save his life.
Read: Child falls into manhole
The boy’s father, Amir Jameel, filed a first information report (FIR) at the Sundar police station under Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with qatl-bis-sabab (murder).
“Around 6 pm, my son Hassan Amir, aged five, while playing in the street, fell into a pit,” the victim’s father said in the FIR, a copy of which is available with Express Pakinomist. He said the child was rescued with the help of residents and taken to Indus Hospital but later succumbed to injuries from the fall.
“The parties responsible for the death of my son are the concerned administration, Atomic Energy Society (Maraka) administration and A&B Construction Company management,” the complainant said, demanding prosecution and justice.
Meanwhile, police said an investigation had been launched to determine responsibility for the child’s death and whether safety measures had been ignored.
Saddar Division Superintendent of Police Shah Rukh Khan visited the site of the incident and condoled with the bereaved family.
speaks to Express PakinomistLahore Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Mohammad Faisal Kamran said investigations were underway from multiple angles and those found responsible would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The incident prompted residents to demand immediate measures to cover uncovered manholes, saying they had become a persistent threat to the lives of citizens, especially children.
Also read: Manhole victim’s family in Punjab refuses to pursue case
Residents said that valuable lives were lost due to the negligence of the relevant authorities and called for immediate and effective steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
The tragedy revived memories of a similar incident in January this year in which a woman and her child died after falling into a manhole near Bhati Gate in Lahore.
A similar incident was reported a month later in the city’s Raiwind area, where a two-and-a-half-year-old child died after falling into an open manhole.
The incidents were not limited to the Punjab capital as such incidents have often taken place in Karachi, leading to the death of several people, especially children.
One of the worst incidents was reported in Karachi last year when three-year-old Ibrahim fell into an open manhole near Nipa crossing in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. His body was recovered 15 hours later from a manhole near Sir Syed University on University Road, sparking widespread outrage.
