The Madhya Pradesh bureaucracy was thrown into turmoil on Sunday after a government order issued by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dewas went viral on social media for using politically charged language instead of standard administrative wording.
The order, issued by SDM Anand Malviya, not only referred to controversial remarks made by Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya but also reproduced allegations made by the Congress against the state government over the Indore water contamination crisis.
Taking serious note of the lapse, Ujjain Division Commissioner Ashish Singh suspended SDM Anand Malviya with immediate effect, citing serious negligence, indifference and misconduct in the discharge of official duties.
The controversy began with Order No. 44/Reader-1/2026, issued from the Dewas SDM office on January 3, 2026. The order was meant to be a routine administrative instruction to deploy revenue staff for maintaining law and order during a Congress protest scheduled for January 4.
However, instead of limiting itself to deployment details, the order contained politically sensitive content, including criticism of the government and a cabinet minister.
The order stated, "Fourteen people have died, and 2,800 are undergoing treatment after drinking contaminated water supplied by the BJP-ruled municipal corporation in Indore. The use of the indecent word 'g****a' by State Government Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya in response to a journalist's question on this sensitive issue is inhuman and a sign of authoritarianism."
It further mentioned that, as per instructions of Congress state president Jitu Patwari, party workers would hold 'g****a' protests by ringing bells outside the houses of BJP MPs and MLAs.
As soon as the order came to the notice of senior officials, the Dewas Collector sent a report to the Divisional Commissioner on January 4. Based on this, Commissioner Ashish Singh issued a suspension order placing SDM Anand Malviya under suspension with immediate effect.
The suspension order cited the use of incorrect and unverified data on a sensitive public issue, gross negligence and indifference in official conduct and violation of the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services Conduct Rules, 1965.
During suspension, Malviya's headquarters will remain at the Divisional Commissioner's office in Ujjain, and he will be entitled only to subsistence allowance as per rules.
Senior officials indicated that the controversial wording appears to have been copied verbatim from the Congress memorandum submitted to the administration ahead of the protest.
While there is speculation that it may have been a clerical "copy-paste" error, officials said the SDM's signature on the document made him responsible for its contents.
The protest and the controversy stem from deaths linked to contaminated drinking water in Indore's Bhagirathpura area.
On December 31, Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya sparked outrage after using the word "ghanta" in response to a question by NDTV about the tragedy, a word widely understood in colloquial Hindi to mean "useless" or "worthless".
While the administration has officially confirmed six deaths due to the diarrhoea outbreak, the Indore mayor has acknowledged at least ten deaths, and local residents claim the toll has risen to 16, including a six-month-old infant.
