Indore has topped the national cleanliness survey for successive years, earning the tag of India’s cleanest city.

Yet in one of its neighbourhoods, contaminated drinking water has triggered a diarrhoea and vomiting outbreak that has claimed at least seven lives, exposing gaps in basic civic services and setting off a political storm.

The outbreak was reported from Bhagirathpura, an area that falls under Indore-1 assembly constituency represented by Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya.

Over the last one week, more than 1,100 people have been affected in some form by the outbreak, officials said. Of them, over 100 patients required hospital admission.

Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava confirmed that seven people had died after falling ill due to contaminated water.

“The health department has reported three deaths due to the diarrhoea outbreak in the Bhagirathpura area. But to my knowledge, four more people suffering from the disease were brought to hospitals and they too died,” he told reporters, pointing to discrepancies in official figures.

The mayor said the civic body was working on the ground to contain the crisis.

“The Indore Municipal Corporation's health department is constantly working with the people to resolve their problems. Our entire council is going door-to-door and talking to people. The entire municipal corporation is reaching out to people in all areas and ensuring that they receive proper care in hospitals.”

District magistrate Shivam Verma said doctors had confirmed four deaths due to the diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated drinking water.

He said 149 patients were admitted across 27 hospitals in the city and their condition was being monitored.

DM Shivam Verma said surveys and relief work were continuing. “2700 houses had been surveyed by yesterday. The ANM and ASHA workers are also going door-to-door and distributing ORS to people. The water supply AE and ZO have been suspended, and the sub-engineer has been relieved of his duties.”

Local residents disputed the official numbers, claiming that at least eight people, including six women, had died in the past week after consuming contaminated water.

Acknowledging lapses, minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said officials had committed a mistake but stressed that treatment should take priority over debate.

“I feel that a mistake has been committed, but it is better if we first ensure that all patients recover and create a positive environment rather than discuss this now,” he said.

He added that those responsible would not be spared, “even if the official concerned held a very high position.”

On the death toll, Vijayvargiya said, “I will not comment on this at present because some people have died natural deaths, while some fatalities have occurred in this incident as well. Therefore, after an inquiry by doctors and the administration, we will share the figures.”

Indore Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav said the contamination was traced to a leakage in the main water supply pipeline.

Yadav said, “We expect to receive the water report by evening. Post that, we will plan further courses of action. We have found a few chambers that intersect the distribution line. We are getting them diverted.”

A toilet was found constructed over the pipeline, and drainage water possibly entered the drinking water line through the leak.

Following instructions from chief minister Mohan Yadav, a zonal officer and an assistant engineer of the municipal corporation were suspended with immediate effect, while the services of an in-charge sub-engineer were terminated.

A three-member committee headed by an IAS officer has been constituted to probe the incident.

The chief minister expressed grief over the deaths and announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

He also said the government would bear the entire cost of treatment of all patients.

The Opposition accused the government of downplaying the crisis. State Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla alleged that the actual death toll was being concealed to cover up “fatal negligence”.

“The contaminated drinking water incident has put an ugly blot on the image of the country's cleanest city, Indore, but the authorities are merely indulging in a cosmetic exercise in the name of action,” he said.

Congress MP from Katihar, Tariq Anwar, said, “This is not a tragedy, it is governmental negligence. Tenders pending for months and a sleeping administration are responsible for these deaths. The victims should get justice and the guilty should be punished.”

The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee posted on X, “Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar has written a letter to the chief minister demanding immediate action regarding the serious incident of deaths due to drinking contaminated water in Indore and hundreds of citizens falling ill.”

MP Congress chief Jitendra Patwari targeted the ruling BJP in a series of posts. “To all my dear family members in Indore, you elected the BJP MP, you elected 9 out of 9 MLAs for BJP, you elected the BJP Mayor in the Municipal Corporation."

"Indore gave BJP two ministers and the Chief Minister himself is the in-charge minister for Indore. Even after giving all this, BJP has given you poison in your water. Even after giving lakhs of votes, BJP wants to greet you by taking your life,” he added.

In another post, he said that he met the families of some of the victims.

Among the victims was Manjulata. Her husband, Digambar, said on Tuesday that when their daughters visited, she cooked food at home and soon after started suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea. She was rushed to hospital but died during treatment early the next morning.