Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 6 : Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders, including party chief Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Umang Singhar on Tuesday visited Bhagirathpura area in Indore and met residents and families affected in the contaminated water incident.
The Congress leaders slammed the state-BJP government over the incident, accusing that the incident had tarnished the image of Indore, which was known for its cleanliness and ranked first across the nation.
Speaking to reporters, Jitu Patwari said, "Not just 17, more deaths occurred in the incident here. The most painful thing is that Indore was ranked number one in cleanliness and earned recognition across the world, but this incident has tarnished the name of the city. The Mayor's Council, the Mohan Yadav government and its ministers are responsible for tarnishing Indore's image. Earlier, Indore was known for discussions on cleanliness; now it is being talked about for poison."
Additionally, Patwari also stressed that it was his responsibility to meet the victim and raise their voice.
"At this time, my responsibility is to meet with the victims, to stand by them, and to raise their voice in the country and the state; that is precisely why we are going," the Congress chief said.

Later, LoP Umang Singhar visited Chacha Nehru Hospital to inquire about the health of the affected children and also interacted with families whose children were undergoing treatment.

Congress leader Singhar accused the state government of being insensitive and claimed that the Opposition would raise the issue in the upcoming Assembly session.
"I believe the way this incident occurred and the government showed insensitivity, is certainly a blot on Indore. I want to say to the people of Indore that water is supplied to your areas through pipelines as well, and be aware that water like that of Bhagirathpura could reach you too. We will thoroughly examine the facts of this matter and will definitely question the government in the upcoming session of the Legislative Assembly as to why the people of Indore are being made to suffer for your [government's] mistakes," Singhar said.
He further added, "I believe that on such a sensitive issue, this is not a matter of BJP versus Congress, but a humanitarian issue, and human sensitivity should take precedence."
Meanwhile, a doctor at Chacha Nehru Hospital, Dr Arvind Ghanghoria, told ANI, "The children's condition is improving. Currently, five children are undergoing treatment, and one child is being discharged today. Rest of the children are also fine and will be discharged within a day or two. Water samples are being collected regularly. Initially, reports indicate the presence of bacteria which cause infection and in a recent test of the past two-three days, those bacteria are not found."
The water contamination incident in Indore's Bhagirathpura has sparked widespread criticism as it claimed several lives and many families were affected by it. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had announced Rs 2 lakh financial assistance to the families of the deceased and free treatment to all the affected people.