Shah orders Inter-Ministerial Team to probe causes
Badhaal, Jan 18: Fear and grief writ large on their faces, people in this remote mountain village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district are stunned by a series of mysterious deaths which happened one after other over the past 45 days.
A local said their fear of death was never so high, not even during the covid pandemic, or when the militancy was at its peak.
The authorities have ruled out the possibility of any communicable disease behind the deaths.
A newly formed special investigation team of police has rounded up over 60 people for questioning as part of its investigation after autopsy reports by CSIR-IITR revealed the presence of neurotoxins.
On Friday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting here to discuss the situation in Badhaal village of Kotranka sub-division and directed health and police departments to expedite investigations.
Located about 55km from Rajouri district headquarters, the villagers are in gripped by fear and want the mystery to be resolved already.
People complained of fever, pain, nausea and loss of consciousness before dying within days of their admission to the hospitals. A girl alone was able to buck the trend and withstand the condition for days. Her condition though continues to be critical.
According to a doctor, the MRI scan of the patients revealed oedema in the brain, a condition where fluid builds up in the brain tissue.
“It is a big challenge for all of us . I appeal to the people that if anyone has any clue, please come forward and help in the ongoing investigations,” National Conference leader and local Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Javid Iqbal Choudhary told PTI.
A new graveyard has come up in the village on an agriculture land belonging to Mohammad Aslam, who lost five children and his maternal uncle and aunt, who adopted him, between January 12 and 17.
Aslam’s brother-in-law Fazal Hussain and his four children were the first to die under suspicious circumstances in the village on December 7. They were initially believed to have perished to food poisoning for the family had attended a wedding just before.
The pregnant wife of Mohd Rafiq, a cousin of Aslam, and her three children died on December 12.
“The government responded to the situation in a very sensitive manner, leaving nothing to chance. Health teams from within and outside J&K were mobilised and all the villagers were screened within the shortest possible time,” Choudhary said.
He said the chief minister has been monitoring the situation since day one.
“The meeting chaired by the chief minister was informed that a total of 68 people have been rounded up for questioning by the SIT,” he said, expressing hope that everything will become clear once the probe is complete.
A grieving Aslam did not rule out a “conspiracy” against his family.