Indore, Jan 1 (IANS) The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in Indore, which was tasked with testing water samples to ascertain the cause behind the health crisis in Bhagirathpura area, has submitted its report to the authorities on Thursday.

Confirming the report, Indore Chief Health and Medical Officer (CHMO) Dr. Madhav Hasani said that laboratory analysis conducted at MGM College revealed that people fell ill and died after consuming contaminated water.

“The medical college’s test report has revealed that the water supply was contaminated due to leakage in the pipeline in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area. However, the exact level of contamination and what precisely caused the deaths are yet to be ascertained,” Dr. Hasani said on Thursday.

Dr. Hasani further informed that more than 8,500 people were medically examined on Thursday. Of these, 338 fresh patients were identified from over 1,700 households in the Bhagirathpura area. All newly identified patients were provided primary treatment at their homes, he said.

“Overall, 272 patients were admitted to various hospitals. Of them, 72 have been discharged till January 1. At present, 201 patients remain hospitalised, including 32 who are undergoing treatment in intensive care units,” Dr. Hasani said.

Officials said greater clarity on the findings of the MGM College report is expected after the state government submits its status report before the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday.

On Wednesday, a divisional bench comprising Justice Rajesh Kumar Gupta and Justice B.P. Sharma, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) related to the incident, directed both the state government and the Indore Municipal Corporation to file a detailed status report by January 2.

However, the exact number of casualties remains unclear. While the state government has officially confirmed seven deaths, reports suggest that up to 14 people may have died between December 21, 2025, and January 1, 2026.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Urban Affairs and Housing Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday distributed cheques to the families of the seven deceased in the Bhagirathpura area. Each family was provided an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh, as announced by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday night.

–IANS

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