Dewas/Ujjain, Jan 5 A major controversy erupted in Madhya Pradesh's bureaucracy when a government order issued by Dewas Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Anand Malviya went viral on social media, containing sharp criticisms of the state government and Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya’s foul language remark to a journalist, instead of standard administrative directives.
The order, dated January 3, 2026, and numbered 44/Reader-1/2026, was meant to assign duties to officers for maintaining law and order during a Congress party protest in Dewas. However, it shockingly incorporated allegations from a Congress memorandum, claiming that contaminated water supplied by the BJP-ruled Indore Municipal Corporation had led to 14 deaths and widespread illnesses in 2,800 people.
It also condemned Minister Vijayvargiya's use of the derogatory term "Ghanta" (slang for dismissing something as nonsense) in response to a journalist's question on the crisis as "inhumane and autocratic".
The order further referenced Congress state president Jitu Patwari's call for “ring bells ("ghanta") protest outside the homes of BJP legislators.
Ujjain Divisional Commissioner Ashish Singh suspended SDM Malviya with immediate effect, citing serious negligence and irregularities under Rule 9 of the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1966.
During the suspension, Malviya's headquarters have been shifted to the Divisional Commissioner's office in Ujjain, and he will receive only subsistence allowance.
Officials described the incident as a grave clerical error, where portions of the Congress protesters' memorandum were allegedly copied verbatim into the official document, which Malviya signed without proper review. However, the inclusion of political allegations, death statistics criticising the government, and objectionable remarks against a senior minister in an official order was deemed inexcusable, prompting swift disciplinary action.
The episode comes amid heightened political tensions over the ongoing water contamination crisis in Indore's Bhagirathpura area, where sewage mixing with drinking water has caused multiple deaths and hospitalisations.
Vijayvargiya's "ghanta" remark on December 31, 2025, while addressing the issue, sparked statewide outrage, leading to Congress-organised bell-ringing protests demanding his resignation.
Administrative circles are abuzz with speculation about the oversight, but the government has emphasised that such lapses undermining official neutrality cannot be tolerated. No further statements have been issued by Malviya or the concerned departments as of now.
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