Lahore police book tuition centre owner, construction worker after roof collapse claims 14 lives

LAHORE: Police have registered a case against a construction worker and the owner of a tuition centre, the roof of which collapsed on Tuesday, resulting in the death of 14 children. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran also confirmed to Dawn that the owners and the construction worker had been nominated. The first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn, was registered under sections 322 (manslaughter) and 337-H (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The complainant stated that he reached the site of the incident at 5: 15pm, when young children were buried under the rubble and rescue teams were called in. It added that the tuition centre had been established in a house owned by Rehan Faizan, Usman Umer, and Muhammad Siddique, and that Rehan’s wife, Amila, taught there. On the day of the incident, the complainant stated that Faizan, Umer, and Siddique, along with a construction worker identified as Umair, were pouring soil onto the roof of the building, which was already in a dilapidated condition. “Due to the extra load, the roof of the room collapsed, ” the FIR stated. It added that the aforementioned people had established a tuition centre in a dilapidated building and, at the same time, caused death and injury to the children present at the centre by putting extra load on the roof. More to follow.

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