Lahore Police Charge Tuition Centre Owners and Contractor Over Fatal Roof Collapse

Lahore police have filed a case against a contractor and the owners of a tuition centre after its roof collapsed on Tuesday, killing 14 children.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran confirmed to Dawn that both the owners and the contractor who built the house hosting the tuition centre were named in the first information report (FIR).

The FIR, obtained by Dawn, was lodged on Tuesday under Sections 322 (manslaughter) and 337‑H (causing hurt by rash or negligent act) of the Pakistan Penal Code. It was registered at Kahna police station following a complaint by Lahore Metropolitan Corporation official Kashif Aslam.

According to the complainant, he arrived at the site around 5:15 p.m. to find children buried under the rubble after the roof gave way. Rescue teams later recovered the bodies of 14 children and found six others injured.

The tuition centre operated in a house owned by individuals identified as Rehan, Faizan, Usman and Umar. Rehan’s wife, who taught at the centre, was also injured. The FIR states that Rehan, Usman, Umar and a contractor named Umair were adding soil to the already dilapidated roof, which caused it to collapse under the extra load.

Lahore police said two individuals, including the property owner, have been taken into custody as part of the initial investigation. Evidence is being collected, and strict action will be pursued against those found negligent.

DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said the contractor who constructed the house is among those detained. The Punjab chief minister has directed police and district authorities to determine responsibility and pursue criminal proceedings.

‘Tragedy of Unimaginable Proportions’

On Wednesday, mourners carried the bodies of the 14 children through the narrow streets of Kahna, shrouded in bedframes. Residents gathered at freshly dug graves in a nearby cemetery before returning to the neighbourhood, where rescue efforts had given way to mourning.

“For our community, this is nothing less than a catastrophe,” said 48‑year‑old resident Aas Muhammad, noting that some families lost multiple children.

Residents, many from a disadvantaged area lacking alternative schools, said they had long suspected the building was unsafe but had no other options for their children’s education.

Hundreds attended funeral prayers at the local mosque before the children—most aged four to twelve—were buried.

“I urge the authorities to conduct thorough structural inspections of schools and other educational institutions,” Aas Muhammad added, calling the disaster a “wake‑up call.”

“No child should ever be placed at risk simply for seeking education,” he said.

Broken bricks, twisted steel beams and shattered concrete littered the collapse site, while remnants of the children’s belongings remained partially buried.

“This is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions,” said resident Muhammad Anwer, 53, to AFP. “It is not only the families who have lost their children who are devastated; the entire community is in mourning.”

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced financial assistance of Rs 2 million for the families of the deceased children and Rs 0.5 million for the injured, according to a statement from adviser Zeeshan Malik.

The incident follows a similar roof collapse two months earlier in Dera Ghazi Khan, which killed four children and injured 20 people.

District administration reports confirm that construction work to extend the tuition centre’s building was underway when sand and bricks were placed on the roof, overloading it and causing the collapse.

Source link