Fatalities from ‘gas leakage’ in Keamari area: Police told to register cases on all suspected deaths since 2020

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has ordered that cases be registered about all the deaths in Keamari area that were suspected to be caused by inhalation of toxic gas emitted from factories in the last three years.

The court ordered the authorities to carry out investigations into the deaths by officers of the rank of SSP and also instructed them to take action against the people responsible for the fatalities.

SHC Chief Justice Ahmad Ali Shaikh heard the case on Tuesday and Sindh’s inspector general of police, advocate general and other officials appeared before him. At the outset of the hearing, the court expressed ire over quashing of similar cases under A Class in 2020.

The chief justice asked the inspector general how many people had died in Keamari. Ghulam Nabi Memon replied that as many as 18 deaths had been reported.

At this the judge expressed his annoyance and asked why no case had been registered. The IGP replied that had residents come forward to get their complaints registered, the police would have registered cases.

Chief Justice Ahmad Shaikh said it was the responsibility of the area’s station house officer to register a complaint on behalf of the state. “Why the SHO was waiting for the complaint? If people were dying, there should have been someone who could look into it,” he said.

Reprimanding the IGP over the quality of investigation in the case, he pointed out that only one post mortem had been conducted even after so many deaths.

The deputy commissioner of Keamari told the court that only three deaths had been reported in his area and those were not caused by inhalation of toxic gas. Justice Ahmad Shaikh gave the official a sharp dressing down, and said: “You should not hold the post of the deputy commissioner as you do not know what happened in your area.”

He ordered the police to contact the families of the deceased and register all the cases of deaths occurring between 2020 and January 2023. He said if no affected family came forward to register a complaint, even then the police should register the death cases.

The judge also ordered the authorities to entrust investigations in the cases to some senior police officers and said if anyone tried to conceal facts, legal action would be taken against him.

Talking to media personnel after the hearing, IGP Memon said that in such cases doctors should be provided samples at the earliest, but due to lethargy of the investigation officer concerned this was not done.

During the last hearing of the case on Feb 1, two petitions filed in February 2020 regarding the deaths of around 15 people due to suspected leaking of toxic gas in the Keamari area were also fixed for hearing on Tuesday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023