Court seeks Karachi mayor's response over manhole death

Petitioner argues a cognisable offence was committed, seeking registration under Section 154

The East Sessions Court has summoned arguments from the lawyers of the Mayor of Karachi, the Town Chairman, the Water Board, and the BRT contractor on Friday regarding a plea to register a case over the death of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into a manhole near NIPA in Karachi on December 31.

The hearing took place before the East Sessions Court concerning the plea to file a case against the Mayor, Town Chairman, Water Board, and BRT contractor. The petitioner, Advocate Sheikh Saqib Ahmed, presented arguments in court.

Advocate Sheikh Saqib Ahmed has held the city’s top civic leadership responsible in his petition filed on December 3, stating that Ibrahim’s death resulted from “culpable negligence” on the part of the mayor and other officials. He requested the court to direct the registration of a criminal case for negligence leading to the loss of an innocent life.

The petitioner's lawyer argued that the police, in their report, stated that the parents of the child did not wish to pursue legal action. However, the Supreme Court has held that if a crime has occurred, any person can initiate proceedings. The lawyer stated that a crime had occurred, and the police should register a case under Section 154.

He added that even if compensation is offered, it falls under Section 345 after the case is registered. He argued that the charges should include murder due to negligence as well as Section 302 for murder.

The lawyer contended that while there may have been no intent to kill, the parties involved knew that the act could result in someone's death. He also stated that even if it is argued that a manhole cover was placed but later removed, the responsible parties still had a duty to ensure safety after covering it.

After the petitioner concluded his arguments, the court summoned arguments from the lawyers of the Mayor and other parties at the next hearing. The court adjourned the case until January 19.

Read: Petitions urge criminal case against Karachi mayor over toddler's death

Another petition was also filed on December 3 in the court of the District and Sessions Judge for District East, seeking the registration of a criminal case against senior municipal officials, including Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab.

The petitioner, Advocate Abdul Ahad, stated in his independent petition that the child, Ibrahim, died after slipping into a lidless manhole and alleged that the negligence of the municipal and district administration directly caused the tragedy. He added that Ibrahim’s family had repeatedly complained about the uncovered manhole, but authorities failed to secure the area. “The bereaved family has also blamed the authorities for failing to secure the area despite repeated public complaints,” the petition said.

Three-year-old Ibrahim, son of Nabeel, slipped into the manhole outside a departmental store at around 11pm on November 31. He had let go of his father's finger and walked ahead between rows of parked motorcycles when he suddenly disappeared into the open gutter. The family had been shopping when the boy ran ahead after pulling his hand free.

After 15 hours of search, the body of the child was recovered by Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) rescue teams near Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology the next day. The boy's body had travelled nearly half a kilometre downstream. The manhole was located directly in front of Karachi's Chase Up Centre — a two-by-two-foot uncovered gutter with no protective cover or barrier for pedestrians.

Rescue teams initially began searching for the child but halted operations due to a lack of equipment. Residents later arranged machinery themselves to continue excavation work. It was later discovered that the manhole was about three feet deep and served as the entry point to Gulshan-e-Iqbal's main 36-inch drainage line. The boy's body travelled through three internal sewage channels before reaching the Dental Medical Centre near Sir Syed University. BRT machinery was only brought in the next morning, nearly 16 hours after the fall, to excavate the main drainage line.

Non-government rescue volunteers were the first to reach the spot. But once inside the system, rescuers hit the same obstacle that has plagued Karachi for decades — no one knew which direction the drain flowed or where it branched.

Read more: Toddler’s body recovered after falling into manhole near Nipa flyover, Karachi

With no blueprint of the sewerage and stormwater network, teams dug at one point and then another, searching for Ibrahim on assumptions alone. They had to search blindly from the point where the person fell to the drain's final outlet because no structural documentation exists.

Rescue teams involved in the operation say the government must immediately prepare a master layout of Karachi's underground infrastructure and provide it to emergency agencies, warning that without it, future tragedies will face the same delays — and the same devastating consequences.

According to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation report submitted to the Secretary of the Local Government Department, the tragedy occurred because excavation work for the Red Line BRT project had severely damaged the drainage system. Temporary two-foot covers placed over the drains were inadequate to prevent accidents.

However, this was not the first time a child had died after falling into an open manhole in Karachi. In January 2025, eight-year-old Ibad Asad fell into an uncovered manhole near a wedding hall in Shah Faisal Colony and died despite rescue efforts. Last year alone, at least 19 people lost their lives due to open sewers, highlighting a persistent issue of oversight and the failure of local authorities to ensure basic public safety measures. Similarly, in September 2021, two-and-a-half-year-old Hamza died in Garden West after the manhole cover near his grandfather’s house had been missing for 15 days, with residents reporting that nearby construction activity had damaged it.