The Sindh Local Government Department has suspended several officials after a three-year-old boy died when he fell into an open manhole in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area. The incident took place near the Nipa flyover on Sunday night and sparked widespread anger on social media over negligence and poor city management.
Suspension notifications seen by Geo News show that the officials removed from duty include Imran Ahmed Rajput, senior director of municipal services at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, and Rashid Fayyaz, assistant executive engineer at the Town Municipal Corporation, Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation’s executive engineer, Waqar Ahmed, has also been suspended.
Other suspended officers include Assistant Commissioner Gulshan-e-Iqbal Aamir Ali Shah and Mukhtiarkar Salman Farsi. The action was taken soon after Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah chaired a meeting on the tragedy.
The child, the only son of his parents, fell into a manhole that residents say had been left uncovered for several days. Locals pooled money to bring in machinery themselves in an effort to rescue him. Despite hours of searching, the boy was found 14 hours later, on Monday morning. Witnesses said official rescue teams arrived after a long delay, adding to public frustration.
Karachi police have formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident. The inquiry team includes SSP East DIG Admin Ahmed Nawaz Cheema and SSP Investigation Central Anum Tajammul. The committee has begun meeting with the family and recording statements and will submit its report to the city police chief once complete.
Meanwhile, the Red Line BRT project has rejected claims made in a Karachi Metropolitan Corporation report that blamed the project for damaging drainage lines and contributing to the tragedy. The BRT management said the incident site is far from any active construction work and that the project is not responsible for maintaining sewerage systems.
The KMC report, however, stated that construction activity linked to the BRT project had disrupted drainage from Nipa to Aziz Bhatti Park, based on feedback from inspectors and local residents.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab visited the grieving family and said he was choosing responsibility over blame. He promised an impartial investigation and action against anyone found negligent. Wahab also acknowledged that the rescue response was slower than it should have been. He said the city administration would introduce new measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The tragedy has renewed concerns over Karachi’s failing civic infrastructure, with many calling for stronger oversight and timely maintenance to avoid such preventable losses.
