The Crossbill News Desk
The Madhya Pradesh government has come under fire from the Congress after Rohit Sisonia, an IAS officer held primarily responsible by a judicial inquiry for lapses linked to the deadly Indore water contamination tragedy, was appointed deputy collector of Raisen district, months after being suspended over the incident.
Sisonia, a 2017-batch IAS officer, took charge as deputy collector (DC) on Thursday (October 15), following his transfer order issued on October 13. He had earlier served as deputy secretary in the Farmers Welfare and Agriculture Development Department.
The appointment has drawn criticism because a judicial panel headed by retired high court judge Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta had identified Sisonia and former executive engineer (water supply) Sanjeev Shrivastava as “primarily responsible” for administrative lapses that contributed to the tragedy.
The panel’s report, dated August 18 and submitted to the Madhya Pradesh high court’s Indore bench in September, cited failures in inspections, delays in repair work and prolonged delays in replacing damaged water pipelines, The Hindu reported.
The contamination crisis surfaced on December 29 last year in Bhagirathpura, Indore, triggering an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea. More than 400 patients were admitted to hospitals, while the death toll was reported to have exceeded 30.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav suspended Sisonia, then additional commissioner (water supply) in the Indore Municipal Corporation, and other officials on January 2, citing negligence.
According to the judicial inquiry, sewage had mixed with drinking water because two pipelines laid parallel to each other had sustained damage over the years. The report also pointed to a 72-day delay in the tender process for replacing the damaged pipeline, between October 15 and December 26, 2025, shortly before the outbreak. However, based on hospital records, the panel attributed 22 deaths to the incident.
The Congress has questioned the state government’s decision to give Sisonia another administrative posting while families of the victims continue to await accountability.
Jitu Patwari, president of the Congress’s Madhya Pradesh unit, criticised the appointment in a post on X, referring to the scale of the tragedy and the officer’s earlier removal.
“36 people died in the tragedy of contaminated water in Bhagirathpura, Indore, India’s first Water Plus City! After this criminal incident, the administrative officer Rohit Sisodiya, who was removed, has been made the Raisen collector by the Mohan Yadav government,” Congress state unit chief Jitu Patwari wrote on X.
He questioned whether the state government had acted on the findings of the judicial panel before approving the posting.
“The victim families of Bhagirathpura are still awaiting justice and action against the culprits today. The BJP government should first explain what action has been taken on the inquiry commission’s report and what facts were considered before appointing the concerned officer as collector?”
The controversy has renewed scrutiny of the government’s response to the Indore tragedy, with the Congress demanding that the judicial inquiry report be made public and responsibility fixed for the deaths.
The appointment has also raised questions about the consequences faced by officials named in inquiries into major public health failures.
Sisonia, a 2017-batch IAS officer, took charge as deputy collector (DC) on Thursday (October 15), following his transfer order issued on October 13. He had earlier served as deputy secretary in the Farmers Welfare and Agriculture Development Department.
The appointment has drawn criticism because a judicial panel headed by retired high court judge Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta had identified Sisonia and former executive engineer (water supply) Sanjeev Shrivastava as “primarily responsible” for administrative lapses that contributed to the tragedy.
The panel’s report, dated August 18 and submitted to the Madhya Pradesh high court’s Indore bench in September, cited failures in inspections, delays in repair work and prolonged delays in replacing damaged water pipelines, The Hindu reported.
The contamination crisis surfaced on December 29 last year in Bhagirathpura, Indore, triggering an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea. More than 400 patients were admitted to hospitals, while the death toll was reported to have exceeded 30.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav suspended Sisonia, then additional commissioner (water supply) in the Indore Municipal Corporation, and other officials on January 2, citing negligence.
According to the judicial inquiry, sewage had mixed with drinking water because two pipelines laid parallel to each other had sustained damage over the years. The report also pointed to a 72-day delay in the tender process for replacing the damaged pipeline, between October 15 and December 26, 2025, shortly before the outbreak. However, based on hospital records, the panel attributed 22 deaths to the incident.
The Congress has questioned the state government’s decision to give Sisonia another administrative posting while families of the victims continue to await accountability.
Jitu Patwari, president of the Congress’s Madhya Pradesh unit, criticised the appointment in a post on X, referring to the scale of the tragedy and the officer’s earlier removal.
“36 people died in the tragedy of contaminated water in Bhagirathpura, Indore, India’s first Water Plus City! After this criminal incident, the administrative officer Rohit Sisodiya, who was removed, has been made the Raisen collector by the Mohan Yadav government,” Congress state unit chief Jitu Patwari wrote on X.
He questioned whether the state government had acted on the findings of the judicial panel before approving the posting.
“The victim families of Bhagirathpura are still awaiting justice and action against the culprits today. The BJP government should first explain what action has been taken on the inquiry commission’s report and what facts were considered before appointing the concerned officer as collector?”
देश की पहली वाटर प्लस सिटी #इंदौर के भागीरथपुरा में दूषित पानी की त्रासदी में 36 लोगों की मौत हुई! इस आपराधिक घटना के बाद हटाए गए प्रशासनिक अधिकारी रोहित सिसोनिया को @DrMohanYadav51 सरकार ने रायसेन कलेक्टर बना दिया है! - भागीरथपुरा के पीड़ित परिवार आज भी न्याय और दोषियों पर कार्रवाई की प्रतीक्षा कर रहे हैं। @BJP4MP सरकार पहले यह बताए कि जांच आयोग की रिपोर्ट पर क्या कार्रवाई हुई और संबंधित अधिकारी को कलेक्टर बनाने से पहले किन तथ्यों पर विचार किया गया? - मध्य प्रदेश में तबादलों की पारदर्शिता पर पहले से सवाल उठ रहे हैं! ट्रांसफर उद्योग अब ट्रांसफर फैक्ट्री बन चुका है? महत्वपूर्ण पदस्थापनाओं में जवाबदेही के बजाय जुगाड़ को प्राथमिकता दी जा रही है! करप्शन/कमीशन के आरोप भी सबूत के रूप में सामने आते जा रहे हैं! मुख्यमंत्री जी, भागीरथपुरा के पीड़ितों को न्याय दीजिए! जांच रिपोर्ट सार्वजनिक कीजिए! जिम्मेदारी तय कीजिए!
— Jitendra (Jitu) Patwari (@jitupatwari) October 14, 2026
The controversy has renewed scrutiny of the government’s response to the Indore tragedy, with the Congress demanding that the judicial inquiry report be made public and responsibility fixed for the deaths.
The appointment has also raised questions about the consequences faced by officials named in inquiries into major public health failures.
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