Congress leaders Vikrant Bhuria and Sadhna Bharti at a press conference at AICC Office, in New Delhi on September 16, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Congress on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) demanded that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh fix accountability for the deaths of more than 35 tribal children in Balaghat and over 50 people in a spurious liquor tragedy in Sagar, seeking the resignations of the State Health Minister Rajendra Shukla and Excise Minister Jagdish Devda, both Deputy Chief Ministers as well.
The party demanded compensation of ₹1 crore for each affected family and a government job for one member from each family.
Addressing a press conference, Adivasi Congress chairperson Vikrant Bhuria and party media panelist Sadhna Bharti alleged that the incidents reflected serious failures in the State’s health and administrative systems.
Mr. Bhuria said more than 35 children in Balaghat had died after suffering from ailments including diarrhoea, malaria, measles and pneumonia. He said malnutrition was a major underlying concern and added that people in parts of the district had not received ‘Take Home Ration’ for six months. Vaccination coverage in some areas, he said, was below 70%, while adequate preventive measures against malaria had not been taken.
Questioning the government’s spending on malnutrition, Mr. Bhuria cited figures provided by the State government in 2025, according to which ₹12 a day was being spent on severely malnourished children and ₹980 for children admitted to nutrition rehabilitation centres. He questioned whether such allocations were adequate to tackle severe malnutrition.
On the Sagar liquor deaths, Mr. Bhuria and Ms. Bharti said more than 50 people had died, and over 200 had been hospitalised. They questioned why the two Ministers had not resigned following the tragedy.
The Congress criticised the compensation announced by the government, saying the assistance was initially fixed at ₹20,000, raised to ₹2 lakh and subsequently to ₹4 lakh after the party’s ‘Nyay Satyagraha’.
Mr. Bhuria cited other incidents, including the deaths of 26 children in Chhindwara after consuming toxic cough syrup, 36 people following exposure to contaminated water in Indore, and two newborns allegedly attacked by rats at an Indore hospital. He also referred to six children in Satna who, he said, were transfused with HIV-infected blood.
He alleged that those raising questions over the Balaghat deaths were being pressured. “Balaghat does not need PR management. It needs nutrition, vaccination, treatment and accountability,” he said, adding that the government should establish the causes of the deaths and take steps to prevent their recurrence.
Published – September 17, 2026 12:43 am IST
