Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari met a patient who fell ill after drinking contaminated water in Indore on 31 December 2025. Photo credit: ANI
An official has been dismissed and two others suspended, even as the death toll rose to 10 in the Madhya Pradesh city of Indore, where more than 2,000 people fell ill after drinking contaminated water supplied by the city corporation, officials said on Wednesday (Dec 31, 2025).
The dead include a six-month-old child who died on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, and six women. Over 100 people from Indore’s Bhagirathpura area have been admitted to hospitals in the past week after drinking water from the municipal water supply.
While the authorities are yet to release the official death toll, a senior district administration officer said the toll has crossed 10.
Superintendent Sub-Engineer Shubham Shrivastava of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department of the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has been terminated, while Zonal Officer Shaligram Sitole and Assistant Engineer Yogesh Joshi have been suspended on the instructions of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
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“To date, 7,992 houses have been checked, in which approx. 39,854 people have been examined, of which approx. 2,456 suspected patients have been identified and given first aid on the spot. To date, 212 patients have been admitted to hospitals, of which 50 patients have been discharged. Currently, the number of patients admitted to hospitals and the number of patients admitted from surgeries is 162, figure I. He said the chief physician and hygienist.
A panel of three
A three-member committee has also been formed to probe the tragedy in the Bhagirathpura area. The panel is headed by IAS officer Navjeevan Panwar and comprises Superintendent Engineer Pradeep Nigam and Associate Professor at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College Shailesh Rai. The panel will also investigate delays in completing a tender floated in August for a new supply line in the area, a senior government official said.
Cabinet minister and Indore-1 MLA Kailash Vijayvargiya termed the incident as “unfortunate” and said the number of patients admitted to health facilities has been increasing. “Yesterday (Tuesday) it was increasing but today it has decreased,” he said.
While Mr. Vijayvargiya remained stationed in the area, the Chief Minister also visited several hospitals to meet patients.
IMC Commissioner Dileep Yadav told The Hindu that the three officials were responsible for supplying clean water to the area but failed to detect the leaks in time.
“The main leak from the toilet drain above the main supply pipe has been repaired and the toilet has been dismantled. Various other leaks have also been found and repaired. We will test the water supply tomorrow and check for any leaks and water quality. The supply will resume once everything is in order,” Mr Yadav said.
He said more than 100 water tankers have been dispatched to the area for the needs of residents.
Madhya Pradesh HC seeks status report
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh high court has also issued a notice to the state authorities and asked for a status report by January 2.
The High Court, after hearing two petitions, also ordered free treatment for patients after the petitioner, a resident of Bhagirathpur, alleged that private hospitals were refusing treatment without money.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Advocate Abhinav Dhanodkar, said, “We have also requested the court to form an inquiry committee headed by a retired High Court judge to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
When asked about the delay in opening tenders for a new supply line in the area, IMC Commissioner Mr. Yadav said that the project was to be done through the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) package and funds were awaited to start the work.
Meanwhile, the State Congress party has formed a five-member inquiry committee to investigate the tragedy. The committee comprises former ministers Sajjan Singh Verma and Jaivardhan Singh along with three MLAs and will submit a report to the party leadership by January 5.
Published – 31 Dec 2025 21:35 IST
