Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav praised the BJP-led government’s suspension of an IAS officer in connection with the contaminated water incident in Indore’s Bhagirathpura. In response, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh criticized the Chief Minister for not holding senior officials and local BJP leaders accountable for the tragedy. Singh called for a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court into the incident that led to multiple deaths.
Singh emphasized the need for a public hearing and demanded that the state government’s reports on the matter be made public. He urged the Chief Minister to order a judicial inquiry to identify those responsible for the incident. Singh, actively involved in responding to the water tragedy, condemned the government’s suspension of only junior officials, alleging it was an attempt to shield the main culprits.
The Congress leader’s statements came ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Indore to meet the affected families in Bhagirathpura. Digvijaya Singh, along with state Congress Chief Jitu Patwari, is set to accompany Gandhi during his visit. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yadav accused the Congress of politicizing the issue, stating that Rahul Gandhi’s visit was for political gain. Yadav defended the government’s actions, highlighting the suspension of the IAS officer as a significant step.
The Madhya Pradesh government informed the High Court that it had compensated the families of 21 deceased individuals in Bhagirathpura with Rs 2 lakh each. However, not all deaths were conclusively linked to the contaminated water. The High Court scheduled the next hearing on the matter for January 20.
