Top Indore officials sacked as foul water toll rises to 15

The death toll in Indore's Bhagirathpura contaminated drinking water tragedy rose to 15 on Friday, laying bare a devastating failure of civic governance in a city repeatedly showcased as India's cleanest.

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What officials initially attempted to project as a contained outbreak has now unravelled into a full-scale public health disaster rooted in neglect, delayed response and crumbling infrastructure.

The latest fatality triggered sweeping disciplinary action.

Indore Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dileep Yadav was removed from his post, while Waterworks Department in-charge Additional Commissioner Rohit Sisoniya and Executive Engineer (Water Supply and Narmada Department) Sanjeev Shrivastava were suspended. Disciplinary action was also was extended to lower-level officials, with a zonal officer and an assistant engineer suspended and a sub-engineer terminated from service.

For residents of Bhagirathpura, the action offers little comfort. Many say they repeatedly complained of foulsmelling, bitter water days before the outbreak spiralled, only to be ignored until hospitals filled and deaths mounted.