In an incident that has claimed many lives due to water adulteration in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, a baby boy born after 10 years of prayers and prayers died within days. A pall of gloom descended on a lane in the Marathi neighborhood of Bhagirathpura, where six-month-old Avyan Sahu lived with his family. A simple mistake of drinking packaged milk mixed with water claimed the child’s life and plunged the Sahu family into unbearable grief.
The family claims they have refused government compensation for the death of a child born after 10 years of prayers and vows. The government has announced a compensation of 2 lakh rupees to the families of the deceased.
Residents have claimed that 15 people, including Avyan, have died in Bhagirathapura over the past year due to an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea caused by contaminated drinking water. However, the health department has not confirmed this claim and says only four deaths have occurred due to the disease.
Avyan’s grandmother, Krishna Sahu, said, “We haven’t received any compensation from the state government yet. Our child is gone. Will compensation bring him back to life? Money is not bigger than a child.” According to the family, Avyan died on December 29. They said their daughter gave birth to Avyan after 10 years of prayers and vows. Crying, she said, “The entire family prayed for his birth and made a vow at the Hussain Tekri Dargah. My prayers were answered, but I never imagined that the child would leave us so soon.”
Krishna Sahu said the child was healthy and weighed five kilograms. “He used to play in his mother’s lap. One day, he suddenly developed diarrhea, and on the doctor’s advice, we started giving him medicines at home. However, his condition worsened, and he was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” he said. He explained that due to the mother’s low milk supply, the child was given packaged milk and milk powder mixed with municipal tap water. Sahu alleged that the water was contaminated and proved fatal for the child.
“I have a one-month-old baby girl, a four-year-old boy, and a 10-year-old girl at home,” said neighbor Anita Sen. “Now the government must ensure that no mother loses her child because of contaminated water.” Vomiting and diarrhea have affected more than 1,400 people in Bhagirathapura over the past nine days.
According to the health department, as of Thursday, 272 patients were hospitalized in the area, of whom 71 have been discharged. At least 32 patients currently hospitalized are being treated in intensive care units.