SHEIKHUPURA, May 2: A 10-year-old boy died when he was buried in the debris of the house being demolished by Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in Nankana Sahib on Wednesday. Deceased Shan, son of Babar Ali, was the resident of a house built on the board’s land.

Dawn learnt that Property Inspector Muhammad Ishaq, Khaliq, Arslan, Zulfiqar, Munir and police officials started demolishing the house of Babar, as part of ETPB’s anti-encroachment drive, without serving any notice to him to vacate it.

The officials dismantled a wall and Shan who happened to be near the wall was trapped in the debris and could not be rescued.

The family of the deceased boy and scores of citizens besieged the board’s office and chanted slogans against the government and officials.

Senior ETPB officials ordered the registration of a case against Ishaq, Khaliq, Arslan, Zulfiqar, Munir and others involved in the demolishing process.

Ishaq claimed the department had served several notices to Babar to vacate the house.

According to our Lahore correspondent, the ETPB suspended from service Deputy Administrator Jehangir Akbar and Ishaq for the death of Shan.

A spokesman for the ETPB said the department had announced a compensation of Rs200,000 for the bereaved family. The board also constituted a two-member committee, comprising Riffat Pirzada and Khalid Baloch, to hold an inquiry into the incident. The committee reached Nankana Sahib.

He said the demolition of encroachments was a routine matter but it had never been the ETPB policy to harm the lives and property of citizens. No lapse in this regard could be tolerated, he said.