‘Like A Crematorium’: Rahul Gandhi Shares Residents’ Ordeal Amid Indore Water Crisis

Indore: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday shared a video on Facebook, highlighting the water crisis in Bhagirathapura and alleging multiple deaths due to consumption of contaminated water.

In the video, Gandhi said, “The entire Bhagirathapura has become a crematorium! This is the story of the grieving victims--whose families paid the price of government corruption with their lives. They were even charged for clean water lines and tankers--but that too has disappeared, like many of the deceased and their records. What happened is not a mistake, it is a massacre--for which no accountability has been fixed even now.”

Residents in the video recounted harrowing experiences.

One family member said that his mother developed severe diarrhoea and uncontrollable vomiting after drinking dirty water. Despite medical intervention, she was declared dead within a few hours. Residents further alleged that water tankers were brought in, but they were charged Rs 1,200 for the supply.

Another resident said that authorities had come last year to reline the water pipelines but charged Rs 3,000 per household just to reconnect the lines.

One local also claimed that official death figures have been underreported, stating that over 50 people had died due to the water contamination. He alleged that some bodies were sent back to their native places late at night, and records at the crematorium were missing.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday, met the families of the victims who died due to the consumption of contaminated drinking water in Indore and also those who are undergoing treatment in the hospital.

Gandhi accused the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh of criminal negligence over the deaths and illnesses caused by contaminated drinking water in the Bhagirathpura area of Indore, saying the government must take responsibility and ensure compensation and assistance to the affected families.

After meeting the victims and their families, Gandhi said access to clean drinking water remains a serious issue in the country even today. He alleged that the failure to provide safe drinking water and control pollution reflected the government's inability to discharge its basic responsibilities.

Several people have died, and many others have fallen ill after consuming contaminated water in the area, he noted, adding that such incidents were a direct consequence of administrative negligence. "The affected families must be given proper compensation and support," he demanded. 

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