NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday visited Badhal village in Rajouri district to assess the situation following the mysterious deaths of 17 people from three families. Abdullah also met the affected families and assured them of comprehensive efforts to determine the cause behind the tragedy.
Speaking on the incident, Omar Abdullah said, “The day when we got the information, the health department along with other departments have been working to understand the causes behind such incidents… Tests were done, and we reached the conclusion that there were no bacteria or viruses that caused those deaths. Later, we found that all those deaths happened in three families. But we are yet to find the reason behind 17 deaths… Since it’s not a disease, police are also involved in it, and they have formed a team to investigate the matter. A central government team is also there, and we together will look into the incidents to find the reason behind all these deaths.”
Earlier, a high-level inter-ministerial team, constituted by Home Minister Amit Shah, continued its investigation into the cause of the deaths for the second consecutive day. Led by a director-level officer from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the team spent nearly six hours in Badhal village on Monday and resumed its probe on Tuesday.
Rajouri: J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during a visit to Badhaal village, where 17 people, including 13 children, died under mysterious circumstances in the past one-and-a-half month, in Rajouri district, J&K. (PTI Photo)(
Officials said the team is collecting samples, interacting with surviving members of the three affected families, and speaking with villagers. Authorities have already sealed a spring in the village after its water tested positive for traces of pesticides and insecticides.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the deaths recently found neurotoxins in the samples of the deceased. Experts from reputed institutions across the country have been roped in to aid the investigation and ensure immediate relief measures.
The deaths, which occurred between December 7 and January 19, have left the village in fear and grief. Local residents described the victims as experiencing fever, pain, nausea, intense sweating, and loss of consciousness before passing away within days of hospitalisation.
National Conference leader and local MLA Javaid Iqbal Choudhary praised the resilience and patience of the villagers in the face of the tragedy. “Our villages are an example of communal harmony, and all are praying that the investigators find a clue so that those who lost their members could know the reason for the deaths of their kin,” he said.
Rajouri: J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during a visit to Badhaal village, where 17 people, including 13 children, died under mysterious circumstances in the past one-and-a-half month, in Rajouri district, J&K. (PTI Photo)(
Surjeet Singh Thakur, a local resident, highlighted the solidarity of the community during this challenging time. “The entire village is in the grip of fear and grief, but we are standing together in this testing time. We have been living in harmony, and we are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the bereaved families,” he said.
The central team, along with the local administration, is working on providing immediate relief and implementing precautionary measures to prevent such incidents in the future.