Indore’s Bhaagirthpura is synonymous with sorrow as contaminated water fells two more innocents, ballooning the fatality figure to 35. The octogenarian Shaligram Thakur departed Monday night, while toddler Riya Prajapati slipped away Tuesday dawn, leaving a community in shock.
Family accounts paint a grim picture. Shaligram, struck by paralysis nearly two decades ago, entered Shelby Hospital on January 2 battling incessant vomiting and diarrhea. Transferred to Bombay Hospital, he was sent home days before his end. Daughter Mona insists no grave comorbidities plagued him beyond the old stroke; hospital spokesperson Rahul Parashar cites cardiac history.
Two-week-old patient Riya at Chacha Nehru Hospital mirrored the symptoms plaguing the area, her young life cut short.
Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari amplified the outrage online: ’35 lives snuffed out in Indore by toxic tap water. Heartbreaking losses of child Riya and elder Shaligram demand justice.’
Official silence persists, even as the Madhya Pradesh High Court intervenes with a dedicated judicial panel. Tasked with dissecting the contamination episode’s roots and ramifications, the commission seeks affidavits and proofs from all quarters.
This unfolding disaster demands introspection on public health infrastructure. From source-to-tap purification lapses to delayed alerts, multiple chinks are exposed. Residents yearn for clean water assurances, while the probe promises clarity—and hopefully, closure—in this deadly chapter.