Weeks after judicial panel held him responsible for Indore water tragedy, IAS officer made Collector

Just weeks after a Judicial Commission probe report on the Indore water contamination deaths was submitted to the Madhya Pradesh High Court, IAS officer Rohit Sisonia — the then-Additional Commissioner (water supply) of Indore Municipal Corporation, who was one of the two officials held “primarily responsible” for the tragedy — has been appointed Collector of Raisen district in a bureaucratic shuffle by the Government. 

The appointment has been criticised by the Opposition Congress, with State unit president Jitu Patwari raising questions over the transparency of transfer postings in the State. “Instead of accountability, favouritism is being prioritized in important postings,” he wrote on X.

Mr. Sisonia, an IAS officer of 2017 batch, was posted as a Deputy Secretary in the Farmers Welfare and Agriculture Development Department. He has been made Raisen Collector in the reshuffle announced late on October 13, in which 23 IAS officers have been transferred. 

After the tragedy in Indore’s Bhagirathpura had come to light in December 2025, Mr. Sisonia was among the officials who were suspended for negligence by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on January 2, 2026. 

The one-member judicial panel of retired High Court judge Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta, formed to probe the reasons of the tragedy, submitted its report dated August 18 to the Indore Bench of the High Court in September. The report blamed mixing of sewage water with drinking water — due to parallel laying of two pipelines that had been damaged over the years — for the bacterial contamination of water that led to more than 30 deaths in the area.

The report held Mr. Sisonia and the then-executive engineer (water supply) Sanjeev Shrivastava “primary responsible” for for various lapses in inspections, carrying out repair works, and several delays in projects to replace the water pipeline which further led to the tragedy. 

Slamming the fresh appointment, Mr. Patwari questioned whether the action taken by the government was based on the panel’s report and whether facts were considered before appointing Mr. Sisonia as a District Collector.

“36 people died in the tragedy of contaminated water in Bhagirathpura, Indore — India’s first Water Plus City! After this criminal incident, the administrative officer Rohit Sisodiya, who was removed, has been made the Raisen Collector by the Mohan Yadav’s government,” he wrote. 

“The victim families of Bhagirathpura are still awaiting justice and action against the culprits today. The BJP government should first explain what action has been taken on the inquiry commission’s report and on what facts were considered before appointing the concerned officer as Collector?” Mr. Patwari said, while questioning the transparency of transfer posting in the State. 

“Has the transfer industry now turned into a transfer factory? Instead of accountability, favouritism is being prioritized in important postings! Allegations of corruption/commission are also coming to light as evidence!” Mr. Patwari said.