Overview
- A milk tanker emptied about 11,000 litres into the Narmada at Satdev in Sehore during the finale of a 21-day Mahayajna, which NDTV linked to the Pataleshwar Mahadev temple event.
- Viral clips show the river turning white as a spiritual leader led rites with large crowds gathered on the bank.
- Organisers and devotees called it a private act of devotion, with a follower of Sant Shivanand Maharaj saying daily milk offerings led up to the larger ritual.
- Environmental specialists warned that decomposing milk raises biochemical oxygen demand, lowers dissolved oxygen, and can kill fish, adding that people who use the river for water could also feel the effects.
- Online critics pointed to an estimated cost of Rs 5.5–7.7 lakh and urged police action, though reports so far do not show measured river impacts or a formal case.