Lahore police book tuition centre owners, contractor after roof collapse claims 14 lives

LAHORE: Police have registered a case against a contractor and the owners 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 contractor were nominated in the first information report (FIR). The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn, was registered on Tuesday under Sections 322 (manslaughter) and 337-H (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). It was registered at the Kahna police station on the complaint of a Lahore Metropolitan Corporation official, Kashif Aslam. The complainant told police that he reached the site of the incident at around 5:15pm, where children were buried under the rubble following the roof collapse at the private tuition centre. After rescue teams were subsequently called in, 14 children were found dead and six others with injuries, the FIR quoted him as saying. According to the FIR, the tuition centre was being run in a house owned by individuals identified as Rehan, Faizan, Usman and Umar. The FIR said Rehan’s wife was teaching students in one of the rooms of the centre and was also injured in the incident. Meanwhile, Rehan, Usman and Umar, along with a contractor identified as Umair, were putting soil onto the roof of the building, which was already in a dilapidated condition, it added. “Due to their negligence and the extra load, the roof of the room collapsed,” the FIR stated. On Tuesday, the Lahore police said two individuals, including the owner of the property, had been taken into custody as part of the initial investigation. They said that evidence was being collected and strict action would be taken against those found guilty of negligence. DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said the contractor who constructed the house was among those detained. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the police and district government authorities t