An outbreak of diarrhoeal illness in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area has triggered administrative action, with the Madhya Pradesh government transferring the Indore Municipal Commissioner and suspending two senior officials. The move follows reports of multiple deaths allegedly linked to contaminated water supply in the locality.
Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava stated on Friday that information received by the civic body confirmed the deaths of 10 patients due to the outbreak. However, residents of Bhagirathpura have claimed that the death toll is higher, alleging that at least 16 people, including a six-month-old infant, have died, raising concerns over the accuracy of official figures.
Responding to the crisis, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered the transfer of Municipal Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav. Additional Municipal Commissioner Rohit Sissoniya and Sanjeev Shrivastava, the in-charge Superintendent Engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department, have been suspended for alleged lapses in water management and public health oversight.
In a status report submitted before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the state government said the outbreak was caused by contamination in the water supply system. Authorities claimed that the situation is now under effective control, with contaminated pipelines isolated, clean water supplied, and continuous “minute-to-minute” monitoring in place to prevent further spread.
Health teams continue door-to-door surveys, medical camps, and water quality testing in the affected area, while officials face scrutiny over accountability and the need for long-term safeguards to prevent such public health emergencies in the future.
