Indore water horror: Police outpost toilet without septic tank linked to 10 deaths

Dubai: Residents of Bhagirathpura, where 10 people died after consuming contaminated drinking water, have blamed a police outpost toilet allegedly built without a proper septic tank, calling it a shocking case of negligence that turned a basic civic facility into a deadly hazard.

According to locals and preliminary findings by the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), the toilet’s waste line reportedly emptied into a pit dug directly above a drinking water pipeline, allowing sewage to seep into the supply network and contaminate water consumed by dozens of households.

The revelation emerged hours after news of the deaths and multiple hospitalisations surfaced on December 29, prompting urgent inspections by civic authorities.

“So many lives were lost because of negligence while constructing a police toilet? This is shocking. A case must be registered and someone must be held accountable,” said Ashok Pathi, a local resident, Times of India reported.

Residents are now demanding that a case of culpable homicide be filed against those responsible for the construction, though officials admit that tracing the original contractor may be difficult.

“What we trusted as safe drinking water turned fatal. Someone’s negligence cost lives, and the guilty must be punished,” said Ramesh Verma, another resident of Bhagirathpura.

Former IMC commissioner Dileep Yadav earlier said that seepage was first detected behind the police outpost, identifying it as a major contamination point. Further inspections revealed additional leak sites, after which the toilet behind the outpost was demolished.

Authorities are now probing how such construction was permitted without safeguards, and whether official oversight failures allowed the hazard to persist for years. Laboratory test results are still awaited.

“We are still scared every time we turn on the tap. This should never happen again, and those responsible must not walk away easily,” said Meena Jain, another resident.

Banganga police said the outpost itself was constructed in 2003 on public garden land, with local contributions, after crime incidents increased in the area.

As part of the ongoing investigation, Indore police have collected soil samples from behind the Bhagirathpura outpost and water samples from the homes of the deceased.

DCP Rajesh Vyas said police have formally recorded the deaths and initiated a parallel probe.

“At present, it is suspected that seepage from the outpost toilet caused the contamination. Once this is established, strict action will be taken against those responsible,” he said.

Forensic experts confirmed that the samples have been sent to MGM Medical College for detailed analysis.