Pleas urge legal action against city officials.
Victim Ibrahim, 3, fell into open manhole.
23 citizens died in open drains this year alone: plea.
KARACHI: Three separate petitions have been filed in a Karachi session court seeking a murder case over the death of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into an open manhole near NIPA flyover.
The petitioners — Sheikh Saqib Ahmed, Abdul Ahad, and Amir Ali — have filed their pleas against the Karachi mayor, town chairman, BRT contractor, and the MD of the Water Corporation.
Tragedy struck late Sunday night when the child slipped into the uncovered manhole near a departmental store situated at Nipa.
The plea, filed by Ahmed, argues that according to Edhi Foundation records, 23 citizens have died in open drains this year alone.
The petition highlights that rescue operations were delayed, forcing residents to hire heavy machinery themselves. They demanded that a murder case be registered against the named officials and that a senior police officer of SP rank be appointed to oversee the investigation.
“Order fair, transparent, and impartial investigation by a competent police officer not below the rank of SP to determine [the] individual responsibility of each accused person,” the petition mentioned.
The petition also urged that the court direct the SHO concerned and SSP Karachi East to provide full legal protection to the legal heirs of Ibrahim.
“… [it should be ensured] that no accused person, municipal authority, contractor or any individual acting on their behalf exerts pressure, coercion, harassment, threats, inducements or blackmail upon the bereaved family to force a compromise or suppress lawful proceedings.”
The petitions were filed a day after the boy was recovered — 14 hours after he fell in the open manhole. According to the father, the child ran ahead “after slipping his hand away” before falling into the manhole.
The boy’s grandfather, Mehmoodul Hasan, said the child was the couple’s only son.
Netizens flooded social media to express anger over the authorities’ failure to keep the manhole covered, while lawmakers also criticised the government in the Sindh Assembly and demanded the mayor, Murtaza Wahab, step down.
Responding to criticism, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon expressed condolences to the bereaved family and called the incident “criminal negligence”. Wahab, meanwhile, ordered an inquiry into the incident, expressing sympathy with the child’s family.
“I want to offer my condolences and stand with the parents at this difficult time,” he said, adding that politics was being played even over this unfortunate incident.
