As many as 24 people died after consuming sewage-contaminated drinking water supplied through municipal pipelines in Indore’s Bhagirathpura locality between December 2025 and February 2026, a judicial inquiry into the tragedy has found.
The one-member commission headed by former Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Sushil Kumar Gupta examined 36 deaths reported during the period and concluded that contaminated water was directly responsible for 24 of them. In the remaining 12 cases, the inquiry could not conclusively establish whether the deaths resulted from contaminated water or other health complications.
The findings have brought renewed focus on civic accountability in Indore, which has repeatedly been recognised as India’s cleanest city. The inquiry found that sewage had entered the drinking water network through compromised municipal pipelines, triggering a major outbreak of water-borne disease in Bhagirathpura.
Delay in replacing pipeline blamed
The inquiry identified administrative failures and delays in replacing an ageing Narmada water pipeline as key factors behind the tragedy. Officials were aware that the pipeline supplying the locality had deteriorated and was vulnerable to leakage, but proposals for its replacement remained stuck at different administrative levels.
Earlier investigations into the outbreak had detected faecal coliform and other disease-causing organisms in the drinking water network, confirming that sewage and polluted wastewater had entered the potable water supply. Residents had also complained about foul and unsafe water before the outbreak escalated.
The judicial commission has reportedly held six civic officials responsible for lapses connected with the incident, while elected representatives and the Mayor-in-Council were not found responsible.
Rs 20 lakh compensation recommended
The commission has recommended compensation of Rs 20 lakh each for the families of those whose deaths were linked to contaminated drinking water. It has also proposed Rs 5 lakh compensation for people who suffered serious illness or were otherwise affected by the outbreak.
The findings follow months of legal proceedings over the Bhagirathpura tragedy. The Madhya Pradesh High Court had constituted the judicial commission to determine the cause of the deaths, identify responsibility and examine other aspects of the contamination.
The commission submitted its report to the Indore bench of the High Court earlier this month. The report has not yet been formally made public, though key findings have emerged.
The tragedy has also raised broader concerns about the condition of Indore’s water distribution network and the risks created when drinking-water and sewer lines run close to each other. Previous inquiries have called for a comprehensive survey of the network to identify leakages, illegal connections and points where sewage could enter drinking-water pipelines.