The plaintiffs tell the court they have no objection to the suspects’ acquittal or exoneration from the case.
An archive photograph of the deceased mother, Sadia, with her 10-month-old daughter Rida Fátima. PHOTO: EXPRESS
A trial court has granted bail to five suspects in a case related to the death of a mother and her young daughter after they lost their lives after falling into an open manhole near Lahore’s Bhati Gate, in response to the complainant’s version that he did not seek further legal proceedings against them.
The incident occurred last month near Data Darbar, where Sadia, 24, and her 10-month-old daughter Rida fell into an exposed sewage pipe. The 1122 rescue teams recovered Sadia’s body almost six hours after the incident, while the baby’s body was recovered about 16 hours later after an extensive search operation.
Sadia’s husband had accused the police of subjecting him to physical torture after detaining him and his cousins for questioning.
During today’s hearing, Magistrate Shafqat Abbas presided over the proceedings after the police produced the suspects before the court at the end of their remand. The suspects included project director Asghar Sandhu, contracting company CEO Salman Yasin, Hunzala site in-charge Ahmed Nawaz and Daniyal.
Read more: The court grants preventive detention of four days to eight suspects
The deceased’s father, Sajid Hussain, and her husband, Murtaza, also appeared in court.
They told the court they did not want to take further legal action against the suspects and had no objection to their acquittal or exoneration from the case.
In light of the complainant’s statement, the magistrate approved the bail applications of the suspects after their arrest and directed them to submit sureties of Rs 50,000 each.
It is worth mentioning that in the previous hearing, the defense lawyer had told the court that the owner of the company voluntarily surrendered to the police and presented a check of Rs 10 million to the aggrieved family.
Following the incident, the Bhati Gate police had registered a case under section 322 (involuntary manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code on Hussain’s complaint. The complainant accused officials of leaving the sewer uncovered, which he claims directly led to the deaths.
Also read: CM Maryam orders arrests over death of mother and young daughter
The case initially sparked controversy after conflicting statements emerged, with some officials questioning whether the bodies could travel through the sewer system. The confusion deepened when a Punjab government spokesman prematurely called the incident “fake,” a statement that was later contradicted by the rescue findings.
Skepticism grew further when family members accused Sadia’s husband of foul play, citing strained marital relations. Police detained the husband and others for questioning, but investigators later said forensic evidence, security camera footage and results of rescue operations supported the conclusion that the deaths were accidental.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had ordered the dismissal and arrest of the suspects.
Read more: Woman and child die after falling into sewer in Lahore
He expressed complete lack of confidence in the performance of all responsible departments and called for immediate accountability, holding the administration, Lahore Development Authority, Water and Sanitation Agency and other concerned officials responsible for gross negligence.
