The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Ujjain has been suspended after an official order issued by him described remarks made by Madhya Pradesh Urban Development and Housing Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya as a “symbol of authoritarian behaviour” in connection with deaths linked to water contamination in Indore.
SDM Anand Malviya had issued the order while outlining law-and-order arrangements ahead of Congress protests over the Indore water contamination case. However, the contents of the notice went beyond procedural instructions and included politically sensitive observations, reportedly.
The order alleged that at least 14 people had died and around 2,800 others had fallen ill after consuming contaminated water supplied by the BJP-run municipal corporation in Indore. Referring to Vijayvargiya’s remarks on the issue, Malviya termed them “inhuman” and reflective of “authoritarian behaviour,” stating that the use of the word “ghanta” in such a serious context was highly objectionable, as per Indian Express.
The notice also mentioned that the Congress state leadership, including party president Jitu Patwari, had decided to gherao BJP MPs and MLAs in protest over the incident.
Following the circulation of the order, the Divisional Commissioner of the Ujjain Division suspended Malviya, citing serious negligence and procedural lapses while handling a highly sensitive matter. According to the suspension order issued on January 5, the directive was released without proper verification, despite information about the proposed protest having been received two days earlier.
As per the reports, Malviya later said portions of the order had been lifted from a Congress WhatsApp group calling for protests and that although the health data cited came from official sources, errors were noticed soon after. He said the order was withdrawn and replaced, but the earlier version had already gone viral.
As per the reports, The suspension followed a proposal from the Dewas Collector’s office, which flagged the order as both procedurally flawed and factually inaccurate. The Commissioner noted that issuing such an order without due examination amounted to grave negligence and misconduct under the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services rules.
Malviya has been placed under suspension with immediate effect. During this period, his headquarters will remain at the Commissioner’s office in Ujjain Division, and he will receive subsistence allowance as per service rules.
