DADU: A group of surviving adults of an ill-fated family that lost its 21 members — men, women and children — in the November 17 van tragedy in Sehwan visited the Sehwan police station to lodge a case against local officials of the National Highway Authority and motorway police for their alleged criminal negligence leading to the accident.

The van, reportedly carrying 33 people, including the driver, was on its way to the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan after starting their journey from Khairpur. The families of devotees were very close relatives and belonged to the Palepoto community of Khairpur Mir’s.

Jamshoro Deputy Comm­issioner Fariduddin Mustafa had told the media after the accident that the van driver could not see the barrier raised ahead to divert the Sehwan-bound vehicular traffic from the accident site, where a cut was given on this section of the highway in September to drain floodwaters in order to clear the highway. A 30-foot-wide ditch developed at the site and floodwaters accumulated in it. While the other side of the highway was restored in October, a barrier was raised at the accident site to save vehicles from plunging into it.

Over 20 men, women and children had died after the van plunged into a ditch filled with floodwaters on Nov 17

Purportedly due to poor visibility, the driver could not see the barrier and, as a result, the speeding van crashed against the barrier and plunged into the deep ditch.

On Tuesday, chieftain of the community Zubair Khan and elders Nazir Ahmed, Mujahid Hussain, Shahid Hussain and others brought the surviving adults to the Sehwan police station to get the FIR lodged against four NHA officials and two Motorway Police officials.

One of the survivors, Saddam Hussain Palepoto, lodged the complaint against NHA director (South) Abdul Qaddus Sheikh, deputy director Zulfiqar Sheikh, assistant director Akhlaq Haider Shah and Inspector Abid Hussain Shah; and DSP Israr Ali and Inspector Sajid Shah of the Motorway Police.

The FIR was registered under Sections 320, 322, 319, 427 and 337 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The complainant stated that the tragic accident in which his 21 family members and close relatives lost their lives and over a dozen other relatives suffered injuries on November 17 took place due to the criminal negligence of the nominated officials.

He claimed that the NHA and motorway police officials had not made any arrangements to restore the flood-hit road and the highway section where a huge cut was given to divert flow of floodwaters. He also stated that proper indicator was not there as a warning to drivers in order to avoid such accidents. He held the officials responsible for the tragic accident.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2022