Retired HC Judge to Lead Probe into Indore Contaminated Water Deaths

-Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh high court constituted a commission of inquiry to probe the contaminated water supply at Bhagirathpura in Indore, which led to the deaths of many people.

Continuing the hearing of the case on Tuesday, the division bench comprising Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi observed that considering the seriousness of the situation, ‘the Court is of the view that the matter should be investigated by an independent, credible authority’.

Accordingly, the court constituted a one-man inquiry committee headed by retired Madhya Pradesh high court judge Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta to investigate ‘issues related to water pollution in Bhagirathpura, Indore and its impact on other parts of the city’.

The Madhya Pradesh government told the high court that 16 of the 23 deaths reported in Bhagirathpura were due to water pollution.

In its report to the court, the state government stated that the deaths of four people were not related to the epidemic, but no conclusion could be reached about the cause of death of the other three people in the region.

The Madhya Pradesh government based the allegations on a report prepared by a five-member committee from the government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, which examined 23 deaths from the district.

However, petitioners and media reports indicate that the death toll is close to 30.

While ordering the establishment of an investigation commission, the committee said, “Photos, medical reports and complaints point to an issue that requires urgent judicial investigation.”

The court directed the commission to submit a report on the cause of the pollution and the number of deaths reported in the area and also asked the authorities concerned to test the water quality in the affected areas on a daily basis and organize medical camps.