Lahore manhole tragedy claimed three lives as victim was 'pregnant'

The Bhati Gate tragedy in Lahore has claimed not two but three lives, as it has emerged that the woman who died after falling into an open sewer was pregnant, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Friday.

According to the report, the disclosure was made by the victim’s mother-in-law, who said that 24-year-old Sadia was expecting at the time of the incident.

The mother-in-law revealed this when the bodies of Sadia and her nine-year-old daughter, Rida, were brought from Lahore to Shorkot.

Funeral prayers for Sadia and her daughter were offered amid a large gathering in the suburban village of Mouza Allah Yar Jutta in Shorkot, where mourners from surrounding areas gathered to pay their last respects.

Meanwhile, the tragic incident at Bhati Gate has triggered administrative action after reports emerged that the deceased woman’s husband was taken into custody and allegedly tortured.

The station house officer (SHO) of the Bhati Gate police station has been suspended, while a deputy superintendent of police has been issued a show-cause notice.

Authorities have announced that investigations will also be conducted to determine the role of the SP City and assess the overall police response to the incident.

The DIG Operations has formally written to the Internal Accountability Branch (IAB) to carry out an independent inquiry into the Bhati Gate tragedy.

The inquiry will examine the reasons behind taking the husband and brother-in-law into custody and will also investigate why arrests were made following a rescue call.

On the instructions of the Punjab chief minister, the Internal Accountability Branch has been directed to complete the investigation at the earliest.

Officials said strict action would be taken against all officers found guilty of misconduct once the inquiry is concluded.

In a related development, police have arrested three nominated suspects in the Bhati Gate case, including project manager Asghar Sandhu, safety in-charge Daniyal and site in-charge Ahmed Nawaz. A case has been registered against them under Section 322.

Separately, funeral prayers for the mother and child who died after falling into the sewer in Bhati Gate were also held in Mouza Allah Yar Jutta, where a steady stream of mourners continues to visit the bereaved family. The atmosphere in the area remains sombre.

The victims were identified as 24-year-old Sadia and her nine-month-old daughter, Rida Fatima, residents of the nearby village. Sadia, a mother of three, had travelled to Lahore with her children and other family members on Monday to visit relatives.

According to the family, the incident occurred after they had paid their respects at Data Darbar and were boarding a rickshaw when Sadia and her infant daughter fell into an uncovered manhole.

Reporters: Waqas Ahmad and Shehzad Ahmad