“Sleeping Like Kumbhakarna”: Rahul Gandhi Slams MP Govt Over Indore Contaminated Water Deaths

India

oi-Gaurav Sharma

A
major
water
contamination
crisis
in
Indore
has
left
at
least
ten
people
dead
and
over
1,400
ill,
exposing
serious
lapses
in
Madhya
Pradesh’s
civic
and
health
systems.
The
outbreak,
centred
in
Bhagirathpura,
has
been
linked
to
sewage
mixing
with
drinking
water,
triggering
a
diarrhoea
wave
and
sharp
political
attacks
on
the
BJP
government.

Health
officials
said
a
city
medical
college
laboratory
found
the
drinking
water
contaminated
because
of
a
leak
in
a
main
supply
pipeline.
The
leak
was
detected
near
a
police
outpost
in
Bhagirathpura,
at
a
spot
where
a
toilet
had
been
constructed.
Officials
stated
that
sewage
entered
the
line
there,
but
full
laboratory
details
have
not
yet
been
shared
publicly.

Political
reactions
to
water
contamination
Indore
crisis

The
tragedy
quickly
turned
into
a
flashpoint
between
Congress
and
BJP.
Congress
leader
Rahul
Gandhi
accused
the
state
administration
of
ignoring
repeated
warnings
from
residents
about
foul-smelling
supply.
“In
Indore,
not
water
but
poison
was
distributed,
and
the
administration
remained
in
deep
sleep,” Rahul
Gandhi
wrote
on
X,
alleging
grave
negligence
by
authorities.

Rahul
Gandhi
said
the
case
showed
a
wider
governance
breakdown
in
Madhya
Pradesh,
linking
it
with
earlier
deaths
tied
to
cough
syrup
and
alleged
negligence
in
government
hospitals.
He
blamed
the
BJP’s
“double
engine”
rule
for
what
he
termed
a
denial
of
basic
rights.
“When
the
poor
die,
Modi
ji
remains
silent,
as
always,”
Rahul
Gandhi
added
in
his
post.

Accountability
debate
over
water
contamination
Indore
outbreak

The
Congress
MP
focused
on
how
sewage
could
enter
potable
water
lines
and
why
supply
continued
despite
complaints.
“These
are
not
free
questions.
This
is
a
demand
for
accountability.
Clean
water
is
not
a
favour,
it
is
a
right
to
life,” Rahul
Gandhi
said,
insisting
that
those
responsible
must
face
action
for
what
residents
have
suffered.

Shiv
Sena
MP
Priyanka
Chaturvedi
also
criticised
the
official
response
and
the
routine
offer
of
payouts
after
such
incidents.
“A
system
so
broken
that
we
treat
deaths
due
to
inaction
as
fate.
A
nation
so
used
to
being
told,
‘we
are
sorry,
take
compensation
and
move
on’,”
Chaturvedi
said,
calling
the
situation
a
sign
of
deep
systemic
failure.

Deaths
and
hospital
cases
from
water
contamination
Indore

Indore
Mayor
Pushyamitra
Bhargava
said
information
received
by
the
civic
body
confirmed
ten
deaths
from
a
diarrhoea
outbreak
linked
to
polluted
water
in
Bhagirathpura.
Residents,
however,
claimed
14
deaths,
including
that
of
a
six-month-old
infant,
while
earlier
reports
mentioned
a
five-month-old
child.
The
health
department
has,
so
far,
not
validated
this
higher
figure
from
the
locality.

Bhargava
said
health
records
showed
a
smaller
toll
but
acknowledged
more
reports.
“According
to
health
department
data,
four
people
have
died
due
to
the
diarrhoea
outbreak
in
Bhagirathpura.
However,
I
have
received
information
about
ten
deaths,” Bhargava
said,
adding
that
only
health
experts
could
confirm
whether
suspected
cholera
cases
were
involved.
Visuals
from
the
area
showed
families
grieving,
including
for
a
months
old
child.

Health
impact
and
response
to
water
contamination
Indore

The
outbreak
has
stretched
medical
services
across
Indore.
Over
the
past
nine
days,
more
than
1,400
residents
in
Bhagirathpura
reported
vomiting
and
diarrhoea.
By
Thursday
night,
272
patients
had
been
admitted
to
various
hospitals.
Of
these,
71
people
were
discharged
after
treatment.
Out
of
201
patients
still
admitted,
32
remained
in
intensive
care
units
for
close
monitoring.

The
Indore
Municipal
Corporation
said
emergency
work
started
as
soon
as
contamination
was
detected.
Additional
Commissioner
Rohit
Sisoniya
said
teams
were
deployed
to
trace
problem
spots
and
restore
safe
supply.
“Our
priority
was
to
identify
the
fault
and
the
leakage.
We
have
been
continuously
testing
the
water
and
taking
samples.
The
report
of
samples
sent
four
days
ago
showed
contamination
in
26
out
of
50
samples,”
he
said.

Civic
and
judicial
action
on
water
contamination
Indore
case

Rohit
Sisoniya
added
that
water
tankers
had
been
sent
into
affected
localities,
with
residents
urged
to
boil
water.
He
said
teams
were
working
round
the
clock
to
locate
every
leakage
point.
Officials
have
advised
people
not
to
drink
tap
water
untreated
until
fresh
tests
confirm
safety.
However,
authorities
have
not
disclosed
the
full
laboratory
report,
prompting
further
questions.

As
public
anger
grew,
the
Indore
bench
of
the
Madhya
Pradesh
High
Court
took
cognisance
of
the
issue
on
Friday.
Judges
asked
whether
tankers
were
reaching
all
neighbourhoods
hit
by
the
contamination.
A
second
petition
related
to
the
same
outbreak
was
also
filed.
After
a
brief
hearing,
the
matter
was
passed
over,
with
the
court
expected
to
examine
the
case
again
shortly.

Political
critique
of
governance
after
water
contamination
Indore
tragedy

Senior
BJP
leader
Uma
Bharti
delivered
a
strong
public
criticism
of
the
administration,
calling
the
deaths
a
stain
on
the
state.
“The
deaths
caused
by
dirty
water
at
the
end
of
2025
have
shamed
our
government
and
entire
system,”
she
wrote,
questioning
how
Indore,
a
city
praised
for
cleanliness
awards,
could
allow
such
a
crisis
to
unfold.

Uma
Bharti
said
financial
relief
could
not
match
the
loss
of
lives
in
Bhagirathpura.
“The
value
of
life
is
not
two
lakh
rupees.
Those
responsible,
from
bottom
to
top,
must
face
maximum
punishment.”
Calling
the
Indore
water
tragedy
a
test
for
Chief
Minister
Mohan
Yadav,
she
demanded
that
the
government
show
either
real
remorse
or
strict
punishment
for
the
failures.

The
Indore
water
contamination
incident
has
revealed
weaknesses
in
urban
planning,
pipeline
safety
and
crisis
response
in
Madhya
Pradesh.
With
deaths
confirmed,
more
than
1,400
residents
sick,
court
monitoring
underway
and
leaders
across
parties
demanding
accountability,
the
focus
now
remains
on
whether
authorities
repair
the
system
quickly
and
address
the
questions
raised
by
grieving
families.