The Madhya Pradesh Congress said at least 15 people have died so far after drinking contaminated water supplied by the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), even as the BJP-led state government kept the official death toll at five, including a woman who died on Friday (January 2, 2026).
Late on Friday evening, after a statewide review meeting, MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav suspended two senior IMC officials and transferred an IMC commissioner as the Congress called for accountability and action against all those responsible. Former CM and BJP leader Uma Bharti also hit out at her own party’s government and demanded “maximum punishment” for all the culprits.
“The state government will not tolerate negligence in the incident that took place in Bhaagirthpura, Indore due to contaminated drinking water. Strict decisions are being taken in this regard. Additional Commissioner of Corporation Rohit Sisoniya and PHE Superintendent Engineer Sanjeev Shrivastava have been suspended. Instructions have also been given to remove XYadaver Indore Indore.
The official death toll
In a status report submitted to the MP High Court, the district administration and the state health department said that four people, all above the age of 60, have died so far in Indore’s Bhagirathpura due to water problems. Indore District Collector Shivam Verma later updated the death toll to five.
“The administration is releasing the numbers based on the medical certificate and there have been five deaths in the incident so far,” Mr. Verma said. “We have also formed a team of senior doctors who will analyze the death data we have received from other sources such as members of the public or the media, and then update our official death toll report. 201 people were admitted until yesterday, nine more have been admitted today, bringing the number to 210.”
During his visit to Indore on Wednesday (Dec 31, 2025), Mr Yadav also said, “There are reports of four deaths, but Indore is a big city and (people) also go to private hospitals. So there is a government post-mortem criteria. But our concern is why there should be even one death.”
Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav also told PTI that he had “received information about about 10 deaths due to this outbreak”.
Delayed response
Public dissatisfaction with the IMC has worsened due to delays in taking action on residents’ complaints about dirty water and delays in starting work on laying fresh water supply pipes. After the morning review meeting, the CM ordered the transfer of Mr. Sisonia to the Agriculture Department, relieved Mr. Shrivastava of the water distribution department and issued a show-cause notice against Mr. Yadav. Following criticism from the opposition and the BJP and a second review meeting, Mr Yadav ordered stricter action against all three officials.
Mr. Sisoniya, who handled several departments of the civic body, faced allegations of halting work on a new water main for Bhagirathpura following residents’ complaints of dirty water. “Complaints of dirty water have been coming from the area for more than a year. Therefore, a new intake pipeline project was added in the note sheet in November 2024 and a tender was floated in August 2025. But it was not opened and the work remained suspended,” said an IMC official.
In a meeting with Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey on Thursday (January 1), Mayor Mr. Bhargav was heard to have alleged that Mr. Susoniya and other senior officials of the civic body did not listen to the public representative as he alleged that water issues in Bhagirathpura had been brought up before the officials several times in the last few months.
“Transfer is not a punishment”
After the morning transfer order against Mr. Sisoniam, recently appointed Madhya Pradesh Mahila Congress president Reena Bourasi called the government’s action a “mere cover-up” and claimed that those responsible were protected.
“The government is trying to protect the accused in the death of 15 people. The government only pretended to take action after Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi tweeted about the incident. This government has not taken any action even on the demands of its own departmental minister and the mayor of the city,” she said, adding that handing over responsibility for the tragedy is not enough to fix it.
“The transfer is part of the administrative process, it is not a punishment,” she added.
Polymicrobial contamination
In a second review meeting with top officials and public representatives of all 16 city bodies and officials of various departments, the CM issued directions for remedial measures across the state to prevent such incidents in future. “To this end, instructions have been given to the officials concerned to prepare time-bound programmes,” he said on X.
More than 2,800 people have fallen ill so far after consuming water from the Narmada river supplied to the taps by the civic body. A laboratory report on more than 70 water samples collected from Bhagirathpura and nearby areas confirmed contamination in 26 samples.
While the type of contamination has not yet been disclosed, a senior official said the report indicated “polymicrobial contamination” as all bacteria, viruses and parasites were found in the samples.
“Maximum Punishment”
In a series of tweets, former chief minister and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti attacked her own party’s state government and demanded “maximum punishment” for those responsible.
In an apparent attack on Mr. Bhargav, Ms. Bharti said on X: “In the Indore contaminated water case, who says they were not heard? If you were not heard, why did you continue to drink Bisleri water while sitting in your position? Why did you not leave the position and address the public? There is no explanation for such sins – be reconciled!”
“In a city that has received the award for the cleanest city in the state, such ugliness, filth and poisoned water that has consumed so many lives and continues to do so, the death toll is rising. The price of a life is not ₹2 million as their families remain mired in grief for life. Strict atonement must be done for this sin and maximum punishment must be meted out from all the affected people. Culprits from bottom to top This is a testing time for Mr. Mohan Yadava,” she said.
“Not only the Mayor of Indore, but also the Madhya Pradesh government and administration, all those responsible for this great sin, stand in the dock of crime against the public,” she added.
Published – 02 Jan 2026 22:12 IST
