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Police given 14 days to arrest top KE officials over electrocution deaths

By Our Correspondent
August 28, 2019

Police informed a judicial magistrate on Tuesday that they have been unable to arrest the top officials of the K-Electric in the case pertaining to the death of three friends due to electrocution during the recent rains.

Talha Tanvir, 28, Faizan Saleem, 25, and Hamza Tariq Butt, 20, were killed by an electric pole in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on August 11. Hailing from Gujrat, all three lived in a residential apartment building in the neighbourhood. The tragedy had occurred while they were on their way on a motorcycle to register a complaint with the KE over power failure in the area.

The Darakhshan police station’s investigating officer submitted an initial report on the case to a District South judicial magistrate, seeking two more weeks to arrest KE owner Arif Naqvi, Chairman Ikram Sehgal, Chief Executive Officer Moonis Abdullah Alvi and others nominated in the FIR.

The three friends were electrocuted to death near Khayaban-e-Sehar in DHA within the limits of the Darakhshan police station. Witnesses and the police said that initially two of them received electric shocks from a pole and the third died while trying to rescue them.

The police registered FIR No. 500/19 under sections 322 (causing death unintentionally), 268 (public nuisance) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code against the KE on the complaint of Butt’s father.

The court approved the police request to allow them a fortnight’s time to arrest the top KE officials and ordered the IO to submit a progress report in the next hearing.

A-class report

Earlier, a judicial magistrate had rejected an A-class report filed by the police in a similar case. Sheikh Saad, 31, was killed due to electric shocks in Paposh Nagar on July 29. His brother Sheikh Waqas said Saad had been out on his motorcycle with four children of his family to enjoy the rain.

Police maintained in the report that they had recorded the testimonies of the witnesses, visited the site of the incident and approached the hospital to see the medical record of the deceased. They said the family of the victim had refused a post-mortem examination.

Police told the court that the report from the electric inspector was still awaited and may take some time more. They requested that since the time allowed for the investigation was over and in it the responsibility of the incident could not be fixed on anyone, the case should be declared A-class.

SHC issues notices

The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the K-Electric, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and others on a petition seeking the registration of FIRs against the KE management over the deaths of citizens who lost their lives due to electrocution during the recent monsoon rains in Karachi.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, who is the emir of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Karachi, and others submitted in the petition that a commission should be constituted to probe negligence on the part of the KE, which, they said, failed to maintain its installations and electricity poles in the monsoon rains resulting in the deaths of more than 40 persons, including children, due to electrocution in the city.

They further stated that the KE should be directed to take safety measures for the maintenance of its installations as per international standards. They added that Nepra should take action against the KE for criminal negligence as it allegedly failed to maintain and update its installations and power transmission in the city in the monsoon season.

They requested the court to order the payment of compensation to the legal heirs of the victims. A division bench headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar issued notices to the KE, Nepra and others and called their comments on September 17.