No probe yet into Raichur water deaths 

RAICHUR: Despite Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announcing on June 6 that he will get the water contamination deaths in Raichur investigated immediately, neither the district administration nor the police have received any orders from the Chief Minister’s Office to carry out the probe. Three people died and 70 others fell ill in a week due to suspected contamination of drinking water here.

A police officer said, “We have not received any instructions from higher authorities to carry out the inquiry. We will act only after receiving the orders.” Even district administration officials had the same response. The district administration, in its preliminary report, attributed the death of three people to contamination of water. 

On Wednesday, 50-year-old Abdul Karim, a resident of Androon Quilla, died reportedly due to contamination of water. With this, the toll due to water contamination rose to four. Two other victims are also from the same area. Karim was one among the 70 people admitted with complaints of vomiting, diarrhoea and gastroenteritis recently. He was discharged from hospital two days ago, but died after a cardiac arrest.Deputy Commissioner Chandrashekar Nayaka L said, “The fourth death is not because of water contamination. He was ailing from gastroenteritis and suffered a cardiac arrest.”