By Raj Kumar Sinha* Indore has long been branded as India’s cleanest city, but the tragic events of early January 2026 have stripped away this veneer to reveal a horrifying reality. With 15 deaths now reported due to contaminated drinking water, it is clear that this is no mere accident. It is the grim culmination of years of systemic flaws, administrative negligence, and a persistent refusal to act on the grave revelations and recommendations issued by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. The warning signs were present long ago; CAG Report No. 3 of 2019 regarding the water supply systems of Indore and Bhopal should have served as a clarion call for any responsible government. That report revealed that between 2013 and 2018, these two cities recorded over 5.45 lakh cases of water-borne diseases, primarily because nearly 8.95 lakh families were denied safe drinking water. During that period, 4,481 water samples were found unfit for consumption. The audit furthe...
By Prof. Hemantkumar Shah* The deaths of at least fifteen people in Indore after consuming contaminated water, and the serious illness of many others, constitute a grave failure of governance. In response to this tragedy, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti issued a statement that, according to Gujarat Samachar , included the following assertions: those responsible for the deaths must atone for their sins; they must seek forgiveness from the victims; the guilty must be punished; and this grave sin requires severe penance .