Police charge sheet says building management at fault for Gul Plaza inferno
KARACHI: Police on Saturday submitted a charge sheet before the South judicial magistrate on the Gul Plaza fire, blaming the building management’s “negligence”. The deadly inferno , which erupted on the night of January 17 at the mall and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished , had claimed at least 73 lives and left over 1,100 shops in ruins. A previous charge sheet submitted in July had…
KARACHI - The police have officially charged four individuals in connection with the tragic Gul Plaza fire that claimed at least 73 lives and damaged numerous shops. The building management has been accused of negligence in the disaster which erupted on January 17 and took two days to fully extinguish.
A previous charge sheet filed back in July had named six suspects, including an 11-year-old boy, but a judge dismissed it due to the officer's inadequate investigation. The newly submitted charge sheet, dated September 3, names the four individuals for trial.
According to the document, the building lacked sufficient equipment to combat the fire given its size. There were also no provisions for emergency lighting, causing panic among the occupants during the evacuation. The charge sheet noted that only two gates of the building were open when the fire broke out; grills on the gates were locked, preventing people from exiting.
Moreover, the document highlighted that the administration had turned off the power supply in the building despite knowing that they had no alternative lighting arrangements.
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