NEW DELHI/JAMMU: The mystery illness and deaths of as many as 17 people in Jammu & Kashmir’s Rajouri district could be due to toxins (poisonous substances).
Union minister Jitendra Singh, who was in Kathua to inaugurate a bridge, confirmed this on Thursday, while adding that investigation is on to identify the type of toxin. “Initial investigations have found that the deaths have not been caused due to infection, viral or bacterial. They have been caused by toxins. Tests are on to identify the type of toxin,” Singh said. He added that suitable action will be taken if it is found that the toxicity was caused due to some mischief or malaise.
Dr Sudhir Gupta, professor and head of forensic medicine and toxicology at AIIMS said that toxins can be both natural and chemical. “Detailed testing will be required to identify what type of toxin caused the deaths. It could be some insecticide, pesticide or even gases,” he said.
As many as 17 people, all of them belonging to three families residing in Badhal village in Rajouri district, have died since Dec 7. At least five others, including two children, are in critical condition after suffering from symptoms suggestive of neuro-toxicity or damage to the brain and the nervous system after exposure to certain toxins. “The symptoms aren’t suggestive of any infection. It looks like a case of poisoning, but we shouldn’t conclude anything until the investigation is completed,” one of the doctors at GMC, Jammu where three symptomatic individuals including two children are admitted, said.
He said the affected children suffer from bouts of irritability, drowsiness, profuse sweating followed by respiratory distress. “We have put one child on ventilator support. Her condition is critical. The other one is doing slightly better,” the doctor, who did not want to be identified, said.
Meanwhile, the residents of Badhal village in Rajouri district remain gripped by shock and fear. The fear was intensified when four more individuals from Badhal were hospitalised due to a mysterious illness and the district administration on late Wednesday evening relocated several families who had been in close contact with the deceased or sick to an isolation centre.
An official said that around 40 people were transferred to the isolation centre established at the Govt Nursing College in Rajouri. ” Authorities have made arrangements to accommodate up to 100 people at the centre.”
According to an order issued by District Magistrate (DM) Rajouri, a comprehensive surveillance plan has been implemented, with different departments directed to make arrangements for the people at the centre. The order reads, “SSP Rajouri will ensure necessary security arrangements at Govt Nursing College in Rajouri and deploy police personnel to monitor and maintain strict restrictions on unauthorized entry/exit movements.”
Expressing concerns over shifting of Badhal people to isolation centre in, ex J&K minister and BJP’s Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali posted on his X, ” During previous night between 12.30 am to 2 am @dmrajouri picked up several persons including ladies,children and elderly people from Badhaal and Larkuti area for quarantine, this has created a panic and fear among the people.”
Meanwhile, MLA Budhal Ch Javed Iqbal on Thursday in a press conference said that the state and Centre relationship was impacting patient care services in Badhaal village. Divisional commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, and additional director general of police (ADGP) Jammu, Anand Jain, visited Badhal village on Wednesday to assess the situation and review ongoing measures for the safety of the residents. The animal and sheep husbandry department has been tasked with deploying officials to manage and care for domestic animals left behind in the village, ensuring their safety and proper upkeep.
Deputy CM Surinder Chowdhary, on Thursday reassured that both J&K and Central govt are making serious efforts to uncover the cause of the mysterious deaths in Rajouri.