Indore water contamination: Congress seeks judicial probe, Vijayvargiya's sacking, case against mayor

Indore: The Congress on Sunday sought a judicial inquiry into the Indore water contamination incident in which six persons died and threatened to launch an agitation on January 11 if the party's demands for rectification measures were not met.

MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari said Kailash Vijayvargiya must be sacked as state urban development and housing minister since Bhagirathpura, where the tragedy unfolded, is part of the latter's Indore-1 assembly constituency.

A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder must be registered against Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava and concerned civic officials, he said after attending a meeting with party leaders here over the drinking water tragedy.

"If these demands are not met, the Congress will launch a major agitation in the city on January 11. The Congress will approach the court over the drinking water tragedy," Patwari said.

People voted for the BJP, which led to the party winning the Indore Lok Sabha seat, its nine assembly constituency as well as the civic body, but they have got deaths due to contaminated water in return, Patwari claimed.

"Sixteen persons have died. These deaths are the murder of that mandate which people gave to the BJP in the previous elections. There must be a judicial probe into the deaths caused by contaminated drinking water and those guilty should be given strict punishment," he told reporters.

"Residents of Bhagirathpura had been complaining for the past eight months that contaminated water was coming from municipal tap connections, but no action was taken. They are also saying water currently being supplied through municipal tankers in Bhagirathpura is also contaminated," Patwari added.