(UCA News) — With 2026 having just begun, India faces a moment of reckoning.

Citizens are demanding answers to urgent crises: contaminated water that has killed families in the central city of Indore, toxic air choking the national capital, dengue spreading across western India, a medical college shut amid religious controversy in Jammu and Kashmir, rising violence against Christian communities, crumbling infrastructure, a weakening rupee, and stubborn unemployment.

Yet the response from those in power follows a familiar pattern.

When difficult questions arise, leaders turn to grand religious spectacle, allowing faith to absorb public anger and deflect scrutiny.

The Indore water crisis unfolded over the New Year holiday, when residents of Bhagirathpura noticed foul-smelling, discolored water flowing from their taps.

A leaking pipeline had allowed sewage to mix with drinking water, triggering a severe diarrheal outbreak. Official figures list seven to 10 deaths, including a 6-month-old infant, though residents say the toll is higher. Hundreds were hospitalized, and thousands were affected.

The irony is sharp. Indore has repeatedly been ranked India’s cleanest city, yet complaints about water quality have gone unanswered for months.

The standard administrative response followed: officials were suspended, inquiries announced, and compensation promised. What remained unaddressed were the deeper questions.

How did aging infrastructure go unchecked in a so-called model city?........

© Eurasia Review