‘We added water to packaged milk,’ says Indore family that lost 6-month-old amid contamination scare

The death has occurred against the backdrop of a wider contamination scare in the Bhagirathpura belt of the city

• Six-month-old Avyan Sahu died after consuming contaminated tap water in Indore
• Multiple residents in Bhagirathpura fell ill due to water contamination
• State officials are monitoring the situation and promise thorough investigation

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Six-month-old Avyan Sahu was among the people who died in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area after consuming contaminated water. The child’s family was inconsolable after the infant’s untimely death. Reports suggest that he was born after ten long years of prayers and wait.

On a doctor’s advice, the infant was fed packaged milk mixed with a small amount of tap water -- the same water the family believed was safe. That water, they later learned, was contaminated.

“My wife couldn't produce milk, so we added water to packaged milk, as advised by doctors. We used Narmada tap water. We never imagined it was so polluted. He had diarrhoea for two days. We gave him medicine. Then suddenly he collapsed. Only later did people here tell us the truth,” the infant’s father, Sunil Sahu, was quoted in an NDTV report.

Sahu said that his son started suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea due to contaminated drinking water and died on December 29.

The death has occurred against the backdrop of a wider contamination scare in the Bhagirathpura belt of the city. Officials said many residents, including children and the elderly, have reported falling ill.

Madhya Pradesh deputy chief minister Rajendra Shukla on Friday said the state government is closely monitoring the water contamination incident in Indore and has taken all necessary steps to ensure proper treatment for those affected.

Speaking to reporters on the issue, Shukla said chief minister Mohan Yadav is personally visiting hospitals, meeting patients and their families, and interacting with doctors to review the medical response. He added that senior minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has been actively stationed in Indore for the past three days to oversee relief and administrative measures.

"The government will ensure the best possible treatment for all affected people. The reasons behind the water contamination will be thoroughly investigated," the deputy CM said.