Indian politician drinks polluted 'Holy river' water to prove it is clean. Now in hospital

An Indian politician who drank water from a polluted 'Holy river' to prove it is clean has reportedly been admitted to hospital.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann drank from Kali Bein, a holy rivulet in Sultanpur Lodhi, two days before seeking medical help.

He was admitted to Delhi’s Indraprastha Apollo Hospital with a stomach ache earlier this week, The India Express reports.

Ashok Swain, Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, posted a clip of the moment he first drank the water.

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“Punjab Chief Minister openly drinks a glass of polluted water from a ‘holy river’ to prove that water is clean. Now admitted to hospital,” he wrote.

According to sources, he is still in hospital on Thursday after being admitted on Tuesday. He is said to be undergoing medical tests.

He was airlifted from his official residence in Chandigarh on Tuesday night.

Despite sources claiming that he had been hospitalised, the Chief Minister’s Office chose not to confirm the story. Instead, an official said he was in good health and going about his regular meetings.

The incident took place earlier this week@ashoswai

The Kali Bein is hugely significant to the Sikh religion Nanak Dev, the first Nanak, is thought to have found enlightenment there.

The incident took place on the 22nd anniversary of an operation designed to clean the rivulet launched in 2000, with Mann drinking from Kali Bein to prove its success.

Decades ago, wastewater and industrial waste flowed openly into the Kali Bein while weeds grew on the banks. While the river is much cleaner than it was, drinking it is not at all advisable.