The death of a woman and her young daughter after they fell into an open sewer near Data Darbar has triggered serious allegations of police torture and misconduct, prompting the suspension of the Bhati Gate station house officer and a high-level inquiry ordered by senior officials.

The deceased woman’s husband, Ghulam Murtaza, accused police of subjecting him to violence and pressure after the incident. Speaking to the media on Friday, he said he approached police to file a complaint following the tragedy, after which officers recorded his statement and began questioning him.

He alleged that police repeatedly asked whether he had argued with his wife and claimed the body could not have travelled forward from the manhole, using this assumption to pressure him.

Ghulam Murtaza said police behaved inappropriately, took him into a room, and beat him with belts and sticks.

According to him, the police attempted to force a confession that he had made his wife disappear. He said he asked officers to verify facts through Safe City cameras, but was told that the truth would be extracted from him instead.

He further alleged that the police confiscated his mobile phone and also detained his cousin.

Ghulam Murtaza said a senior officer showed him a photograph for identification, which he confirmed was his wife, yet police continued to cast doubts. He also claimed that despite the recovery of the body, police did not inform him where it was found.

Following reports that the husband was detained and tortured, DIG Operations Lahore took notice and suspended Bhati Gate SHO Zain Abbas, while issuing a show-cause notice to DSP Mamoon.

According to police, the DIG has ordered a high-level inquiry to determine the conduct of the SP City and relevant officers. The Internal Accountability Bureau (IAB) has been formally asked to conduct the investigation.

The inquiry will examine the reasons for taking the husband and his brother into custody, and why arrests were made during the rescue call and operation.

On the directives of the Punjab chief minister, the IAB has been asked to complete the investigation at the earliest, with strict action promised against any officers found guilty of misconduct.

Meanwhile, a new controversy has emerged as the complainant and the deceased woman’s parental family accused the police of obtaining thumb impressions and signatures on blank papers.

In a video statement, the family alleged the move was intended to provide relief to departments responsible for the tragedy.

Responding to the allegation, a Lahore police spokesperson said the deceased woman’s father’s thumb impression was taken at the morgue only to correct an error in the FIR application.

The spokesperson said the complaint initially mentioned a safety officer named Muhammad Daniyal, but it later emerged that the correct name was Muhammad Hanzala.

Due to time constraints while leaving the morgue, the application was corrected and resubmitted with a thumb impression, the spokesperson said, adding that the entire family was present with the body at the time.

The investigation wing has since completed the correction process for the revised application.

The incident, in which a mother and daughter fell into an open manhole in the Bhati Gate area, remains under investigation.