Congress protests Indore water contamination deaths, seeks Vijayvargiya’s resignation

The Congress on Sunday staged protests in Indore over the vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated drinking water, claiming that at least 21 people have died in the incident and holding the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responsible for what it termed a grave failure of governance.

Party leaders and workers took out a ‘Nyay Yatra’ from Bada Ganpati Square to Rajwada Square, demanding the resignation of state Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava. Protesters also sought registration of FIRs against those responsible for what they described as negligence leading to the tragedy.

The outbreak has been reported from Bhagirathpura, a locality that falls under the Indore-1 Assembly constituency, represented by Vijayvargiya.

Death toll disputed

While the health department has confirmed seven deaths following the diarrhoea outbreak triggered by consumption of contaminated water, residents and Congress leaders have claimed that the toll is significantly higher, putting the figure at 17 to 21.

The Indore district administration has distributed compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to 18 affected families so far.

Addressing the march, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged that despite massive public spending over the past two decades, the BJP government had failed to ensure basic civic services.

“In the last 25 years, nearly Rs 1 lakh crore has been spent in the name of development in Indore, yet the people of Bhagirathpura could not get even a glass of safe drinking water,” Patwari said.

He demanded that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav apologise to the people of Indore for the deaths linked to contaminated water, noting that Yadav is also the district’s in-charge minister.

Patwari announced that the Congress would launch a statewide public awareness campaign on drinking water safety and conduct a “water audit” to assess water quality across Madhya Pradesh.

Call for judicial inquiry

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh demanded that the incident be investigated by a sitting judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

“A judicial probe with public hearings should be ordered so that responsibility is fixed. Those found guilty must be punished to set an example,” Singh said.

The former chief minister also criticised the holding of Hindu conventions across the state on Sunday to mark the centenary year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, saying such events should have been postponed in view of the deaths in Bhagirathpura.

Political sparring intensifies

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Umang Singhar accused BJP leaders of selective outrage, alleging that while they spoke about atrocities against Hindus abroad, they remained indifferent to deaths in Indore.

“They speak about Hindus in Bangladesh, but have no concern for Hindus who died here due to contaminated drinking water,” Singhar said.

He further alleged that no criminal case had been registered in connection with the incident because BJP leaders were unwilling to accept accountability.

Congress leaders also accused the ruling party of prioritising divisive politics over basic civic responsibilities, asserting that the tragedy had exposed what they described as the state government’s misplaced priorities.

The BJP has not yet issued a detailed response to the Congress’s demands for resignations and a judicial probe. State officials have said health teams are monitoring the situation and steps are being taken to prevent further contamination of drinking water supplies in the affected locality.