Marriage hall shut in Kasur after toddler falls into uncovered manhole

KASUR: A marriage hall in Kasur’s Mustafaabad area was sealed on Monday after a three-year-old boy drowned in an open sewerage hole on the premises, according to local officials.

The child, identified as Ali Hor, was playing inside the marriage hall when he accidentally fell into an uncovered manhole. Witnesses at the scene later retrieved his body from the sewer.

Following the incident, Assistant Commissioner Ghulam Fatima ordered the immediate sealing of the marriage hall and directed authorities to investigate the circumstances that led to the negligence.

The tragedy comes amid growing concern over a series of fatal accidents involving open manholes across Punjab. Earlier, a woman and her infant daughter died after falling into an uncovered sewer near Bhati Gate in Lahore. Rescue officials said the manhole had been left open due to ongoing construction work near the Data Darbar Birds Market, while poor visibility at night contributed to the incident.

The victims, identified as Sadiya and her nine-month-old daughter Rida, were swept away by fast-moving water. After hours of search efforts, the woman’s body was recovered, while the infant’s body was found nearly 17 hours later, about eight kilometres away in the Saggian area.

In the aftermath of the Lahore incident, disciplinary action was taken against police officials. Station House Officer Zain Abbas was suspended over allegations of detaining and torturing the husband of the deceased woman. A show-cause notice was also issued to the concerned DSP, and an independent inquiry was ordered by the DIG Operations Lahore to examine police conduct during the rescue operation.

Separately, on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, administrative action was initiated against officials accused of negligence. The project director and senior officers linked to the case were suspended, and further investigations were ordered to fix responsibility and prevent similar incidents in the future.