Indore water contamination: Mayor-collector visit to RSS office sparks controversy, opposition hits back
The visit of Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav and District Collector Shivam Verma to the RSS office amid the city's water contamination crisis has sparked political controversy, with the Congress questioning administrative impartiality and the BJP defending the meeting as a courtesy call.
New Delhi: A wave of controversy has erupted after Indore District Collector Shivam Verma and Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav visited the RSS office in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The visit comes at a time when the city is grappling with a water contamination crisis that has claimed at least eight lives in the Bhagirathipura area.
The meeting was held at the RSS’s newly inaugurated office, 'Sudarshan’, located in Rambagh, Indore. Sources said RSS Malwa Prant Pracharak Rajmohan held a one-on-one discussion with the Collector and the Mayor for nearly one-and-a-half hours.
According to reports, the Mayor was strongly reprimanded during the meeting over the handling of the Bhagirathipura situation. Discussions reportedly focused on preventing such incidents in the future and ensuring better coordination among various departments.
The officials also asserted that they would work in coordination with elected representatives and address public issues without delay.
Congress criticises visit
Congress state spokesperson Amit Chaurasia launched a scathing attack, saying that people were dying due to contaminated water while the administration appeared helpless. He alleged that the Collector’s presence at the RSS office raised serious questions about administrative impartiality and institutional dignity.
Chaurasia claimed the visit reflected a nexus between the administration and the ruling organisation, alleging that constitutional positions were no longer functioning independently under BJP rule.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari also criticised the state authorities. Sharing a video clip of the Mayor standing outside the RSS office, he wrote, "When poison is flowing through Indore’s taps, when homes are plunged into mourning over the deaths of innocent citizens, when the government has failed—should the Collector be in the field, in hospitals, among affected families, or inside the RSS office?”
BJP replies
Responding to the criticism, BJP spokesperson Shivam Shukla dismissed the allegations, saying, "It was a courtesy meeting, and there was nothing wrong with it. Can’t officials meet people? The Congress should stop spreading misinformation about the meeting.”
Meanwhile, according to the latest health bulletin issued by Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani, at least 446 people have been admitted to hospitals from the Bhagirathipura water contamination zone so far. Of these, 396 patients have been discharged, while 50 remain under treatment, including 0 in ICU. Two ambulances have been deployed exclusively for the affected neighbourhood, The Indian Express reported.
Even as Madhya Pradesh authorities informed the High Court that the death toll stood at eight, official records show that the Indore district administration has distributed Rs 2 lakh compensation cheques to the families of 18 people in connection with the case.