Peshawar School Roof Collapse: FIR Registered Against Owners, Contractor Under Section 322
PESHAWAR: Police on Friday registered a criminal case against the owners, shareholders and contractor of the three-storey Al-Khair school in Peshawar’s Dir Colony, a day after roofs collapsed during morning classes and, according to the FIR, killed 30 children and a female teacher. The Peshawar school roof collapse FIR was lodged at the Agha Mir Jani Shah police station under Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code — qatl-bis-sabab, or death caused without intent — along with Sections 148 and 149, police said.
Fifty-two people were injured in Thursday’s collapse, the FIR states. The school had about 110 enrolled students, and its owner, Khan Muhammad, has been taken into custody while police work to arrest the other nominated suspects.
What the FIR Alleges
The first information report says substandard construction materials were used in the school building, which it describes as dilapidated and unsuitable for use. It further states that complaints had previously been made about the deteriorating condition of the building’s walls and roofs, but the school owners allegedly failed to address the concerns raised by children.
The FIR says the nursery classroom’s roof on the second floor collapsed along with ground-floor rooms. The school stands on a 16-marla plot owned by Waheed and Javed, leased in 2024, after which the building was constructed.
The case was registered on behalf of the state, and police have collected details of the school’s principal and teachers.
Peshawar School Roof Collapse FIR: What Section 322 Means
Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code covers qatl-bis-sabab — causing death without an intention to kill. It applies where death results from negligence or an unlawful act, unlike murder (qatl-i-amd, Section 302), where intent must be proved and the death penalty is possible; conviction under Section 322 instead carries liability to diyat, or blood money.
Sections 148 and 149, also invoked in the FIR, deal with rioting armed with a deadly weapon and the liability of members of an unlawful assembly. Taken together, the charges signal that police are treating the tragedy as a criminal matter of negligence, not an accident.
Province-Wide School Safety Audit Ordered
Following the collapse, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government ordered a fact-finding inquiry and directed a structural safety audit of educational institutions across the province. The Elementary and Secondary Education Department also recommended a province-wide survey of government school buildings to assess their structural condition and classify them according to safety risks.
Read more: K-P orders structural safety audit of schools after Peshawar collapse
A Pattern of Deadly Collapses
The incident has renewed concerns over the structural safety of educational buildings in Pakistan, where similar collapses have killed and injured students in recent years.
On June 30 this year, 14 children were killed when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area. A teacher and eight other children were also injured. Police said the centre was housed in an ageing building with an unfinished second floor, and the roof reportedly gave way amid concerns over poor construction.
In May, at least four children were killed and 20 people injured when a classroom roof collapsed at a private school in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, during extension work.
Related: Karachi building collapse rescue update and 162 Karachi buildings flagged for fire safety violations show how enforcement of building safety rules remains uneven across the country. The repeated incidents have raised questions about construction standards, building maintenance and safety enforcement at schools — questions the FIR’s findings on ignored complaints now place squarely before the courts.
*Source: Express Tribune; second source: Hum News*
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the Al-Khair school in Peshawar?
Roofs of the three-storey Al-Khair school in Dir Colony collapsed during morning classes on Thursday, October 15. The FIR records 30 children and a female teacher killed, with 52 people injured.
Who has been booked in the case?
The owners, shareholders and construction contractor of the school have been nominated in the FIR. Owner Khan Muhammad is in custody, and police say they are working to arrest the remaining suspects.
What is Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code?
Section 322 covers qatl-bis-sabab — death caused without an intention to kill, typically through negligence or an unlawful act. Unlike murder (Section 302), it needs no proof of intent, and conviction carries liability to diyat (blood money).
What action has the K-P government taken?
The provincial government has ordered a fact-finding inquiry and a structural safety audit of educational institutions across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, plus a province-wide survey of government school buildings to assess structural risks.
