Bhopal, Jan. 7 -- The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court on Tuesday ordered the state government to file a fresh status report in the death of at least 10 people due to contaminated water supply, calling the earlier report filed on January 2 "insensitive". Asserting that drinking water supply to the entire Indore city was unsafe, a division bench of justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi issued summons to the state chief secretary over the deaths at the Bhagirathpura colony. The court said people have a fundamental right to clean water supply. "It is important to clarify on the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution which also includes the right to clean drinking water. This right cannot be compromised under any circumstances," said the court. The court ordered the chief secretary to appear virtually on January 15 as it was hearing five petitions filed in the matter. "If the drinking water itself is contaminated, it is a matter of grave concern. We want to hear from the chief secretary Anurag Jain in this matter virtually on January 15, as this problem is not limited to just one part of the city." The court also ordered testing of water quality at multiple points and replacement of faulty pipelines. "The state government shall conduct water quality testing at multiple points by the NABL Accredited Laboratories, replacement/repair of pipelines (especially where sewer lines and water lines run parallel), installation of online water quality monitoring systems, chlorination and disinfection protocols and long-term water safety plan for Indore city," the court order said. The court also ordered the state government to produce files related to the tenders issued for fresh pipelines for drinking water and the report of MP Pollution Board with respect to the samples tested in 2017-2018. Ten people died in in Bhagirathpura after consuming contaminated water. Currently, 110 patients of the total 421 who reported ill, are still admitted in hospitals. A test of water samples from the area showed presence of bacteria such as salmonella, vibrio cholera and E coli. The court said the incident has severely damaged the city's image of being cleanest city in the country. The court asked the state government to file a fresh status report in seven different categories as petitioners' advocate claimed that number of infected persons and deaths recorded in the previous report were correct. The report has been sought in categories, including immediate and emergency directives for affected people, preventive and corrective measures, determining responsibility, disciplinary action, compensation, directives given to local bodies and public awareness and transparency in the cases. On December 31, 2025, the High Court had directed the state government and the municipal corporation to ensure the supply of clean drinking water to the citizens. According to the January 2 status report, state machinery took cognizance, and action, on reports of people falling ill due to contaminated water Bhagirathpura on December 29, by when a 60-year-old-woman had died. [check] The status report claimed that only four deaths were caused by the contaminated water in Bhagirathpura and did not reveal the cause or source of the diarrhoeal illness. Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava had said 10 people died due the contamination. He said sewage leaking into a potable water line after damage due to ongoing construction work and construction of toilet without safety tank . Ritesh Inani, lawyer for one of the petitioners, said, "The water which is being supplied in the affected area in tankers is still contaminated, not clean and potable. Several complaints had been made by local residents even before the incident, but the administration did not take notice. If these complaints had been addressed in time and appropriate preventive measures had been taken, this incident would not have occurred." The petitioners also demanded criminal action against the those responsible. Representing the state government, additional advocate general Rahul Sethi said, "The state government will reply on January 15 as per the direction of the court." Meanwhile on Tuesday, 38 new cases of vomiting and diarrhoea were reported from the Bharirathpura area, officials said. Of these six serious patients were admitted to a private hospital, they added. The officials added that 866 complaints regarding water supply were registered on the Mayor Helpline from 22 city zones in the first six days of the new year. Of the total complaints, 467 were related to contaminated water. Confusion persisted on whether the situation qualifies as an epidemic. On Sunday, district collector Shivam Verma declared a waterborne disease epidemic in Bhagirathpura. However, after a visit by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) team, he clarified on Tuesday that it was a contained "diarrhoeal outbreak"....