Karachi mayor apologises to Ibrahim’s family; BRT refutes KMC allegations, calling blame a ‘serious oversight’
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab speaks with relatives of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into a manhole in Karachi, during a visit to the boy’s home. Photo: Express
In the wake of a tragic incident in Karachi where a three-year-old boy fell into a manhole, several senior officials from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, District Municipal Corporation, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, and the office of the Assistant Commissioner have been suspended. The Sindh Local Government Department issued separate notifications ordering the suspensions.
Those removed from their posts include KMC Municipal Services Senior Director Imran Rajput, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town Municipal Corporation Assistant Engineer Rashid Fayyaz, KWSB Executive Engineer Waqar Ahmed, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Assistant Commissioner Amir Ali Shah, and Gulshan-e-Iqbal Mukhtiarkar Salman Farsi.
According to the notifications, Waqar, Rashid and Imran have been assigned to the Local Government and HTP Department during their suspension period, while Amir has been attached to the Services, General Administration and Coordination Department. Mukhtiarkar Salman has been placed under the Board of Revenue Sindh, Hyderabad. All suspended officials will continue to receive salaries and allowances as per rules.
The action was taken on the directives of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah after the death of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into a sewer near Nipa Chowrangi on Sunday night. His body was recovered 14 hours later near Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology.
In a report submitted to the Local Government Department, the KMC held Red Line BRT authorities and the management of a nearby departmental store, Chase Up, responsible for the incident, alleging that excavation for the BRT project had severely damaged the drainage system.
However, the Red Line BRT project management strongly refuted the allegations. In an official statement, the project expressed deep sorrow over the child’s death and conveyed condolences to the family but stressed that the incident site was at a considerable distance from their construction zone.
The BRT team stated that no excavation, barricading, or construction activity was underway near the location and that the road pavement remained intact. It maintained that the project had no administrative or operational responsibility for the sewerage or nullah infrastructure in the area and had undertaken no civil works there.
Read More: Toddler’s body recovered after falling into manhole near Nipa flyover
The statement noted that all BRT construction strictly follows required safety procedures and No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from relevant authorities. It added that the parking area where the incident occurred was used by a private store and lay far from any BRT activity. Blaming the tragedy on the Red Line project, it said, amounted to a “serious oversight.”
As an Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded initiative, the project said it adheres to rigorous Occupational Health and Safety standards and pledged full cooperation with authorities investigating the incident.
Karachi Mayor apologizes to Ibrahim’s family
Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab visited Ibrahim’s family and personally apologised to the father, grandfather, and other relatives. Speaking on the occasion, the mayor described the incident as “unbearable, shameful, and extremely painful.”
He expressed sympathy for the grieving family and emphasised the city administration’s responsibility to ensure public safety, adding that he would not engage in blame game, but would take accountability for the incident.
According to the child’s grandfather, the family hopes measures will be implemented to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Wahab also addressed broader infrastructure concerns in Karachi, which has 245,000 manhole covers, of which 88,000 new covers were installed over the past year.
Read: KMC holds BRT, departmental store responsible for toddler’s death in manhole
Ibrahim slipped into the manhole around 11pm on Sunday while walking ahead of his mother between parked motorcycles outside the store. His body travelled nearly half a kilometre through three internal sewage channels before being recovered. His mother reportedly fainted, and his grandfather, Mehmoodul Hasan, received the body.
Locals and volunteers joined the search but faced delays due to a lack of machinery and sewerage maps. Ibrahim’s father and grandfather also spent Rs15,000 on private excavation before KMC teams resumed operations. BRT machinery arrived nearly 16 hours after the fall to excavate the main drainage line.
Following the incident, an investigation committee formed on the instructions of Sindh CM visited the site, accompanied by Gulshan-e-Iqbal AC and local police. The committee inspected the store and the location where Ibrahim’s body was recovered. It will determine the causes of the accident and submit its findings to the chief minister.
