Union Home Minister Amit Shah has constituted a ministerial team to investigate the mysterious deaths of 16 people in a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district in a month.
In the last 45 days, 16 people died of a mysterious illness in Budhal village of Rajouri district. Victims complain of fever, pain, nausea and loss of consciousness before they die within days of being admitted to hospitals. The girl is said to be critical.
Authorities have ruled out the possibility of any infectious disease after death. However, the doctor said the patient’s MRI scan revealed brain edema, a condition in which fluid builds up in the brain tissue, known as neurotoxins.
A delegation of ministers will visit Budhal village on Sunday to investigate the causes of three incidents that happened six weeks ago.
The team includes experts from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Agriculture, Chemicals and Fertilizers, and Water Resources, as well as experts from Animal Husbandry, Food Safety and Legal Sciences. It will work with local authorities to provide immediate assistance and take steps to prevent such incidents in the future.
Experts from the best institutions in the country have been appointed to understand the cause of this incident and control the situation. The mission of the team is to ensure safety and relief measures in the affected area.
Recently, the newly formed special investigation team of the police has rounded up more than 60 people for questioning as part of its investigation after post-mortem reports of the victims by CSIR-IITR revealed the presence of neurotoxin.
OMAR ABDULLAH HAS A MEETING
On Friday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a high-level meeting to discuss the situation in Badhal and ordered the health and police departments to speed up investigations into the mysterious deaths of 16 people.
Located 55 km from the district headquarters of Rajouri, the residents are gripped with fear and want the mystery solved.
National Congress leader Javid Iqbal Choudhary described the situation as “a big challenge” and said the Chief Minister has been vigilant since day one.
“It is a big challenge for all of us. I request people, if anyone has information, to come forward and help in the ongoing investigation,” he told PTI.
“The government has responded to the situation in a very serious manner, leaving no stone unturned. Health teams from inside and outside Jammu and Kashmir have been mobilized and all the people in the village have been tested in a very short time,” he said.
GOVERNMENT PUBLISHES COMMUNICABLE DISEASE WEBSITE
Earlier, the government spokesperson said that investigations and samples clearly show that these cases are not caused by an infectious disease of bacterial or viral origin and that there is no public health angle.
“All the samples taken from the victims and civilians were found to be free of virus or bacteriological aetiology. Tests were carried out on different samples from some of the most famous labs in the country. Toxicology analysis conducted by CSIR-IITR found many biological samples to be toxic,” he said.
Abdullah said his government is closely monitoring the situation.
“The health and safety of our people remains our priority. The government is fully committed to solving this problem and ensuring justice for the affected families,” he said earlier.
(with input from PTI)