A private housing society has sought explanation from a private TV channel over the April 28 incident, causing two deaths and leaving dozens of individuals paralysed for life when the stage fell down on the audience.
Through an official letter, the housing society asked questions from the TV channel that if an investigation was carried out by the TV management to look into why the stage collapsed, what action was taken against contractor or staff members responsible for the stage management, efforts to reach out to injured and steps to ensure such incidents does not happen again.
Due to carelessly organized TV show – Eidi Sab Kay Liye, the stage fell down on the audience, causing two deaths and leaving dozens from audience injured. Except few, overall media avoided the incident that’s why authorities were not available to help victims,” said one of the victims.
Families of the victims claimed that they have approached the police station concerned for the registration of FIR against the responsible, but the police were reluctant to register an FIR on the matter due to certain pressure.
During the investigation, some eyewitnesses told Pakistan Today that during the programme, all of a sudden the stage collapsed resultantly many of the audience were struck under the heavy stage and people were crushed in stampede.
The participants said that more than two dozen people were shouting for help as they were stuck in the debris and got major fractures. An officer at PIMS, said that 108 injured people were treated in the hospital alone.
Sameena Adnan, mother of three children and wife of Ali Adnan Rizvi, died on May 4, six days after the incident. She suffered spinal cord injuries in which her backbone was completely damaged and paralysed. Talking to Pakistan Today, her husband said that he brought his wife, three children’s along with three relatives to the show – which was supposed to be in-door, as per recordings available on internet – the show was scheduled to start from 5pm but they arrived at 7:30pm.
“As we were late comer, I sent my children to bring some refreshment and after 15 minutes at 7:45 the stage collapsed and my wife got paralysed. After begging help for 15 minutes, Sameena along with seven other patients were brought to PIMS where she was treated,” he said.
Sameena was mother of Muhammad Ali, 11, student of grade 7 at ICB G-6/3, Ali Hamza, 18, student of Electrical Engineering at UET Texala, and Aleena, 17, student of FSC at F-8 College. “Aleena had appeared in an exam of Math on a day of her mother’s funeral, no authority, no channel and none of society’s representative visited us or offered help,” he said.
Another victim, Syed Zaheer Abbas Kazmi, said that he was injured in that incident and got right leg fractured with 14 stiches on his face due to absence from work he was fired from the job. “Four of our family got injured. My sister-in-law also suffered from spinal cord and was paralysed. She treated at PIMS and was discharged two days ago,” he said.
Waseem said that his wife Anum Hassan, got her both legs paralysed due to spinal cord injury in the incident. “No one is held responsible for that? What can one say about the rule and regulation in the federal capital,” he said. Zara Adil, wife of Muhammad Adil, was pregnant and had a miscarriage as she fell down from 25-feet-stage and got paralysed for entire life.
Some other victims, who wished not to be named, said that after the incident, the housing society administration shut off all the lights so no one can record a video. They alleged that the strong owner bribed the media not to highlight that story. “And you can see no one aired it,” they said. According to the video, available with Pakistan Today, many people got injured were screaming for help.
It is pertinent to mention here that spinal cord is a group of nerves that are protected by the individual vertebrae of the spine. The main function of the spinal cord is to send signals from the brain to other regions of the body. It is the main messenger throughout the body. Injuries can occur at any level of the spinal cord and can be classified as complete injury, a total loss of sensation and muscle function, or incomplete, meaning some nervous signals are able to travel past the injured area of the cord.
Repeated attempts were made to contact Malik Riaz through his secretary but he was not available for his comment. When contacted, society’s personal staff officer Khalilur Rehman claimed that the management has rented out the premises and have no stake in it. “Our management has nothing to do with the event and the incident,” he said, adding that the organisers were responsible for all the incident.
