Lahore manhole tragedy: Court extends physical remand of accused

LAHORE: A local court Wednesday extended physical remand of five accused in Lahore manhole tragedy case, in which a woman and her nine-month-old daughter lost their lives.

A woman and her nine-month-old daughter lost their lives after falling into an open sewage drain near Bhati Gate on January 28, 2026.

The child’s body was recovered approximately 17 hours later, nearly eight kilometres from the site, while the mother’s body was recovered around six hours after the incident.

Initially, the rescue teams and other officials termed the incident fake. Despite repeated pleas from the victim’s family, the district administration denied the incident, but the position changed after the mother’s body was recovered.

Police produced the accused before judicial magistrate Shafqat Abbas in local court, after end of their physical remand.

The prosecution demanded further extension of remand, while the defense lawyer opposed it. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court extended the physical remand of the accused by five days.

The accused included Project Manager Asghar Sandhu, safety in-charge Hunzala, site in-charge Ahmad Nawaz and two brothers Salman and Usman working for a private company.

Inquiry report

An inquiry committee formed by the Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) earlier completed its investigation into torture allegations of Ghulam Murtaza following the Bhati Gate incident in Lahore, in which his wife and nine-month-old daughter lost their lives after falling into an open manhole.

According to the inquiry report, three police officers — the SP City, the SDPO, and the concerned SHO — were found responsible for negligence. The committee stated that Ghulam Murtaza, the husband of the Bhati Gate victim, was subjected to torture inside the SHO’s retiring room, allegedly in the presence of the SP.

The inquiry committee was constituted to probe allegations of custodial torture after the victim’s husband was taken into custody following the incident. The panel was headed by AIG CIA Imran Mahmood, with DIG Ahmed Nasir Aziz and DIG Imran Kishore as members.