A magisterial court granted bail to five suspects in a case pertaining to the death of a mother and her infant daughter after they lost their lives falling into an open manhole near Lahore's Bhati Gate in response to the complainant's version who sought no further legal proceedings against them. The incident occurred last month near Data Darbar, where 24-year-old Sadia and her 10-month-old daughter Rida fell into an uncovered sewer line. Rescue 1122 teams recovered Sadia's body nearly six hours after the incident, while the infant's body was retrieved about 16 hours later following an extensive search operation. Sadia's husband had accused police of subjecting him to physical torture after taking him and his cousins into custody for questioning. During today's hearing, Magistrate Shafqat Abbas presided over proceedings after the police presented the suspects before the court on the expiry of their physical remand. The suspects included Project Manager Asghar Sandhu, contractor company’s CEO Salman Yasin, Site Incharge Hunzala, Ahmed Nawaz and Daniyal. Read More: Court grants four-day remand of eight suspects The deceased woman's father, Sajid Hussain, and her husband, Murtaza, also appeared before the court. They told the court that they did not want to pursue further legal action against the suspects and had no objection to their acquittal or discharge from the case. In light of the complainant’s statement, the magistrate approved the post-arrest bail applications of the suspects and directed them to furnish surety bonds of Rs50,000 each. It is worth mentioning that at the previous hearing, the defence counsel had told the court that the company’s owner voluntarily surrendered to the police and presented a cheque of Rs10 million for the aggrieved family. Following the incident, Bhati Gate Police had registered a case under Section 322 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code on Hussain's complaint. The complainant had accused the officials of leaving the manhole uncovered, which he said directly led to the deaths. Also Read: CM Maryam orders arrests over mother, infant daughter's deaths The case initially had triggered controversy after conflicting statements emerged, with some officials questioning whether bodies could travel through the sewerage system. Confusion deepened when a Punjab government spokesperson prematurely termed the incident “fake”, a statement later contradicted by rescue findings. Scepticism further grew 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, CCTV footage and rescue operation findings 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, child die as they fall into manhole in Lahore She expressed complete lack of confidence in the performance of all responsible departments and called for immediate accountability, holding the administration, the Lahore Development Authority, the Water and Sanitation Agency and other concerned officials responsible for gross negligence.
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