Indore Water Contamination: Official Dismissed, Two Suspended As Death Toll Rises To 10

An official has been dismissed and two others suspended in Indore after at least 10 people died and more than 2,000 fell ill due to contaminated water supplied by the municipal corporation in the Bhagirathpura area, according to officials cited by The Hindu. The action came even as hospitals continued to receive patients affected by the outbreak, which has unfolded over the past week.

According to The Hindu, the deceased include a six-month-old child who died on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) and six women. More than 100 residents of Bhagirathpura have been admitted to hospitals after consuming water from a municipal supply line. While the administration has not officially released the death toll, a senior district official told The Hindu that the number of deaths has crossed 10.

In-charge sub-engineer Shubham Shrivastava of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department of the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) was terminated from service, while zonal officer Shaligram Sitole and assistant engineer Yogesh Joshi were suspended on the directions of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. According to The Hindu, the three officials were responsible for maintaining clean water supply in the affected area.

The scale of the health crisis emerged from a statement issued by the office of the Chief Medical and Health Officer. “Till today, 7,992 houses were surveyed in which about 39,854 people were examined, out of which about 2,456 suspected patients were found, who were given first aid on the spot. Till today, 212 patients were admitted in hospitals, out of which 50 patients have been discharged. Currently, the number of patients admitted in hospitals is 162, and the number of patients admitted in ICU is 26,” the statement said.

A three-member committee has been constituted to probe the incident in Bhagirathpura. Headed by IAS officer Navjeevan Panwar, the panel includes superintendent engineer Pradeep Nigam and associate professor Shailesh Rai of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College. A senior government official told The Hindu that the committee would also examine delays in finalising a tender issued in August for laying a fresh water supply line in the area.

Cabinet Minister and Indore-1 MLA Kailash Vijayvargiya described the incident as “unfortunate” and said the number of patients admitted to hospitals had fluctuated. “It was increasing yesterday [Tuesday] but has reduced today,” he said. While Mr. Vijayvargiya remained stationed in the affected locality, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited several hospitals to meet patients undergoing treatment.

IMC Commissioner Dileep Yadav told The Hindu that the suspended and dismissed officials failed to identify leakages in time. “A main leakage from a toilet drainage over the main supply line has been repaired and the toilet has been dismantled. Various other leakages were also found and repaired. We will test the water supply tomorrow and check for any leakages and water quality. The supply will be resumed once everything is fine,” Mr. Yadav said. He added that more than 100 water tankers had been deployed to meet residents’ immediate needs.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh High Court issued notices to the State authorities and sought a status report on the matter by January 2. Hearing two petitions, the court also directed that patients be provided treatment free of cost after a Bhagirathpura resident alleged that private hospitals were refusing care without payment. Advocate Abhinav Dhanodkar, appearing for the petitioner, said: “We have also requested the court to form a probe committee headed by a retired High Court judge to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”

Responding to questions on delays in opening tenders for a new supply line, Mr. Yadav said the project was proposed under the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme and that work would begin once funds were received.

According to The Hindu, the political response has also intensified, with the State Congress constituting a five-member fact-finding committee to investigate the incident. The panel, comprising former Ministers Sajjan Singh Verma and Jaivardhan Singh along with three MLAs, is expected to submit its report to the party leadership by January 5.

(With inputs from The Hindu)