BHOPAL: Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports on the deaths of seven people after consuming contaminated water supplied in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Madhya Pradesh High Court reportedly directed the state government to provide free medical treatment to people affected by vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming contaminated drinking water in Indore. The court also sought a detailed status report on the incident within 48 hours.
A vacation bench of the Indore Bench, comprising Justices Rajesh Kumar Gupta and B P Sharma, passed the directions while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Indore High Court Bar Association president Ritesh Inani. The petition urged the authorities to ensure the supply of safe drinking water to residents of the city.
Initial laboratory test reports of water samples collected from the gastroenteritis-hit Bhagirathpura locality, part of India’s cleanest city, have confirmed contamination in the drinking water supplied to the area.
With 13 new patients admitted to various hospitals in Madhya Pradesh’s most populous city on the first day of the new year 2026, the total number of patients undergoing treatment for acute gastroenteritis and associated complications has risen to 201. Of these, 32 are in intensive care units (ICUs).
“The primary test reports of the water samples collected from the Bhagirathpura locality over the last three days have been submitted by MGM Medical College. These reports confirm contamination of the drinking water. We are now awaiting detailed reports, particularly culture reports, which will help identify the actual pathogens that triggered the diarrhoeal outbreak,” Indore District Collector Shivam Verma and Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Hassani said on Thursday.
While the contamination initially appeared to be a development of the last 10–15 days, residents told a different story. Two women who confronted local BJP MLA and State Urban Administration and Housing Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya in Bhagirathpura claimed the problem had persisted for 18 months to two years. “We have complained to everyone, from the local corporator to Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) ground staff, but nothing was done. Had the authorities acted, precious lives could have been saved,” said resident Sapna Bai.
Vijayvargiya, who visited the house of 60-year-old Urmila Yadav, one of four residents officially declared dead due to the contaminated water, faced anger from the bereaved family. “Don’t give us a cheque of Rs 2 lakh; bring our mother back,” they said.
At one hospital treating patients from Bhagirathpura, Nidhi Yadav, whose 70-year-old mother-in-law Ramlali Yadav is in a critical condition with kidney damage, questioned the timing of remedial action. “We complained six times about contaminated water. Why are cleaning and pipeline checks happening only now? Was the IMC waiting for deaths?” she asked, adding that senior leaders had visited only wards where patients were stable.
While the state government and district administration have maintained the official death toll at four, Minister Vijayvargiya and Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava have said the total could be eight or nine, though scientific confirmation of linkage to the outbreak is awaited. Unconfirmed reports suggest the number could be higher.
Among those whose deaths are yet to be officially linked to gastroenteritis is five-month-old Avyan Sahu, reportedly the youngest victim. His father, Sunil Sahu, said the family had waited ten years to have a child before losing him to the outbreak.
On Wednesday evening, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said four deaths had been confirmed so far based on post-mortem reports indicating diarrhoeal infection as the cause.
High-level meeting exposes rift within civic administration
On Thursday, Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Administration and Housing) Sanjay Dube chaired a high-level meeting in Indore on the Bhagirathpura issue. The meeting, which lasted around 90 minutes, was attended by Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava, local corporators, Divisional Commissioner Sudam Khade, District Collector Shivam Verma, Municipal Commissioner Dilip Yadav and Additional Police Commissioner Rajesh Singh.
Sources present said a growing rift between elected representatives and senior IMC officials was evident. The mayor and corporators accused the municipal commissioner and senior officials of failing to execute proposals approved by the Mayor-in-Council (MIC).
They alleged inordinate delays in replacing pipelines, noting that while the tendering process began in 2024, work on the ground in Bhagirathpura commenced only recently due to delays in issuing work orders. Elected representatives also accused senior IMC officials of stalling basic civic works, such as pipeline and sewer projects, by insisting these be taken up under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme.
Sources added that concerns were also raised over the alleged under-reporting of deaths linked to the outbreak.