Health

GoI team probing 17 deaths due to unknown illness in Rajouri, seals contaminated water source

GMC Rajouri. [File Photo]

Rajouri: A high-level inter-ministerial team conducted a six-hour investigation on Monday in Badhaal village, Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir, to determine the cause of 17 mysterious deaths across three related families, officials reported.

The village witnessed the burial of a 15-year-old girl, Yasmeen Kousar, who passed away in a Jammu hospital on January 19, alongside a subdued wedding ceremony of a local resident amid the activities surrounding the 16-member central team’s visit.

Led by a director-level officer from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the team included experts and arrived in Rajouri on Sunday. They were briefed by senior district, health, and police officials before heading to the village early Monday.

Home Minister Amit Shah had directed the formation of this team to investigate the deaths that occurred between December 7 and January 19, about 55 km from Rajouri town. The deaths had previously drawn attention from ICMR, AIIMS, PGI Chandigarh, and other premier health institutions.

During the visit, the central team split into two groups to conduct investigations and collect samples. Additional District Magistrate Dil Mir oversaw the sealing of the house of one of the victims, Md Aslam, and another residence where fatalities occurred, after experts had completed sample collection.

Authorities also banned social and religious gatherings, including weddings and feasts, as a precaution, similar to COVID-era restrictions. Despite this, one resident, Ikhlaq Shah, held a simple wedding ceremony attended only by a few close relatives.

The deceased reportedly exhibited symptoms such as fever, pain, nausea, sweating, and loss of consciousness before passing away. Preliminary findings ruled out a bacterial or viral communicable disease, with neurotoxins detected in the victims’ samples. A local spring tested positive for pesticides or insecticides, prompting its sealing and 24-hour security, while villagers were supplied with fresh water via tankers.

The central team, working with local officials, aims to provide relief to the affected families and implement measures to prevent future incidents.

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