Congress demands responsibility for the deaths of tribal children, victims of tragedies in MP

Congress leaders Vikrant Bhuria and Sadhna Bharti at a press conference at the AICC office in New Delhi on September 16, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI

The Congress on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) demanded that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh fix responsibility for the deaths of over 35 tribal children in Balaghat and over 50 people in the fake liquor tragedy in Sagar, while demanding the resignation of state health minister Rajendra Shukla and deputy excise minister Chief Devi Jagd

The party demanded a compensation of ₹1 million for each affected family and a government job for one member from each family.

Adivasi Congress president Vikrant Bhuria and party media panel member Sadhna Bharti said at a press conference that the incidents reflected serious failures in the state’s health and administrative systems.

Mr Bhuria said more than 35 children in Balaghat died after suffering from diseases including diarrhoea, malaria, measles and pneumonia. He said malnutrition was the main underlying problem, adding that people in parts of the district had not been given “Take Home Ration” for six months. Vaccination coverage in some areas was below 70%, he said, while adequate preventive measures against malaria were not taken.

Questioning the government’s expenditure on malnutrition, Mr Bhuria cited data provided by the state government in 2025 which showed ₹12 per day was spent on severely malnourished children and ₹980 per day on children admitted to nutritional rehabilitation centres. He questioned whether such rations were sufficient to address severe malnutrition.

Regarding the Sagar liquor deaths, Mr. Bhuria and Ms. Bharti said that more than 50 people have died and more than 200 have been hospitalized. They asked why the two ministers did not resign after the tragedy.

The Congress criticized the compensation announced by the government, saying that the assistance was initially set at ₹20,000, increased to ₹2,000 and subsequently ₹4,00,000 after the party’s “Nyay Satyagraha”.

Mr Bhuria cited other incidents including the death of 26 children in Chhindwara after ingesting toxic cough syrup, 36 people after exposure to contaminated water in Indore and two newborns allegedly attacked by rats at an Indore hospital. He also mentioned the six children in Satna who he said had been transfused with HIV-infected blood.

He claimed that those raising questions about Balaghat’s death are under pressure. “Balaghat does not need PR management. It needs nutrition, vaccination, treatment and accountability,” he said, adding that the government should find out the causes of the deaths and take steps to prevent their recurrence.

Published – 17 Sep 2026 0:43 IST