The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Station House Officer (SHO) have been suspended over the Lahore Bhati Gate incident where a mother and daughter fell into an open manhole and passed away.
According to sources, an investigation will be carried out to determine the response of the Superintendent of Police (SP) City Lahore and the police.
The inquiry will be conducted to verify the motives behind apprehending and detaining the husband of the victim and her brother-in-law. The decision of the police to make these arrests upon receiving the rescue call will also be investigated.
Bhati Gate manhole incident
A woman and her infant, on Wednesday evening, reportedly fell into an open manhole after dismounting a rickshaw near Bhati Gate, Lahore.
Initially, rescue teams questioned the validity of the case, doubting the call they received from the woman’s husband. They claimed that the water level in the open sewer was not deep enough for a person to drown.
However, on Thursday morning, Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police Operations (DIG), Faisal Kamran, confirmed that the body of the mother had been found at the disposal station on Outfall Road.
In view of the situation, Punjab Chief Minister (CM), Maryam Nawaz immediately constituted a fact-finding committee for a complete and thorough investigation of the matter.
The Punjab CM also held senior officials of the city accountable including Lahore Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner and head of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), calling it a case of ‘criminal negligence’.
Victim’s husband breaks the silence
The husband of the woman, who tragically lost her life in the Bhati Gate incident has alleged that he suffered torture at the hands of police officials while he was detained.
The husband, Ghulam Murtaza, further stated that police officers pressured him to confess to killing his wife and child. He said, ‘When I went to the police station to report that my wife and daughter had fallen into the sewer, the police took me into custody. SP Bilal and SHO Zain tortured me’.
He also confirmed that the couple had not gotten into a fight and that he watched his wife and daughter fall into the open manhole. He alleged that the SHO and SP failed to believe his side of the story and confiscated his phone as well.
