Rajouri/Jammu, Jan 20: An inter-ministerial team visited Badhaal village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Monday to investigate the mysterious deaths of 17 individuals from three families, according to officials.
The central team, led by a high-ranking director from the Ministry of Home Affairs, arrived at the Rajouri district headquarters on Sunday evening and was briefed by senior officials from the district health and police departments.
Home Minister Amit Shah initiated the formation of this inter-ministerial team to determine the causes of death among the three interrelated families in a remote village located approximately 55 km from Rajouri town. The deaths occurred between December 7 and January 19.
Upon arrival in Badhaal at around 11:30 am, the team, supported by numerous senior officers from various departments, visited the grieving families. This visit coincided with preparations for the burial of Yasmeen Kousar (15), the sixth child of Mohd Aslam, who passed away at SMGS Hospital in Jammu on Sunday evening.
The central team quickly split into two groups to begin their investigation after reaching the village, officials stated.
The girl’s body is expected to return to the village from the hospital within a few hours for burial in a newly established graveyard, alongside her five siblings and grandparents who have also died recently. Between December 7 and 12, nine members of two families in the village had already passed away.
According to officials, the central team, in partnership with local authorities, plans to provide immediate assistance and implement preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Experts from several of the nation’s top institutions have been enlisted to manage the situation and investigate the causes of these deaths.
Patients reported symptoms such as fever, pain, nausea, intense sweating, and loss of consciousness, often deteriorating and dying within days of hospital admission.
A spokesperson for the Jammu and Kashmir government previously indicated that investigations and sample analyses suggested the deaths were not related to any communicable bacterial or viral disease, and there was no public health risk involved.
The police have established a Special Investigation Team after traces of neurotoxins were detected in the deceased’s samples.
Authorities have recently sealed off a spring in the village after tests indicated the presence of pesticides and insecticides in the water.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of the Kotranka sub-division, Dil Mir, has ordered the spring’s closure and the deployment of two to three security personnel to monitor the water resource in the village around the clock. (Agencies)
