New Delhi, Jan 17: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered the constitution of an Inter-Ministerial Team to visit the Budhaal village to ascertain the causes of deaths in 3 incidents in the past six weeks.
The team will consist of experts from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, and Ministry of Water Resources. It will also be assisted by experts from animal husbandry, food safety, and forensic science labs.
The team would proceed on January 19 and in collaboration with the local administration would also work on providing immediate relief as well as taking precautionary measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Experts from some of the most reputed institutions of the country have been arranged to manage the situation and understand the causative factors of deaths.
Sixteen people have died in the village in the last one month. Jatti Begum (60), a resident of Badhaal village, succumbed at GMC Associated Hospital and died two days after her husband, Muhammad Yousuf (62), died. Tragically, five children from the same family have also fallen victim to the mysterious illness.
Jammu and Kashmir government has reassured the public that there is no need to panic. According to the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department, investigations have ruled out communicable diseases of bacterial or viral origin.
“All samples have tested negative for any viral or bacteriological etiology,” a press release stated. Tests were conducted at leading laboratories, including the National Institute of Virology, Pune; National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi; and PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Toxicological analyses by CSIR-IITR have detected toxins in multiple biological specimens, indicating potential poisoning as the cause.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by Rajouri police to probe the deaths further.
Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Itoo visited the affected area, held discussions with local authorities, and emphasized providing necessary healthcare to the victims.
Experts from top institutions have been mobilized to manage the situation, with the Secretary of Health Research and DG of ICMR, Dr. Rajeev Bahl, coordinating efforts to rule out an epidemic and pinpoint the root cause.
The government affirmed its commitment to public safety and has intensified efforts to address the crisis.
On Friday, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the alarming situation in Budhal village of Rajouri district, where mysterious deaths have claimed 16 lives, with one more victim succumbing to an unexplained illness.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Health & Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo; Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani; Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo; Additional Chief Secretary to the CM, Dheeraj Gupta; ADGP Jammu, Anand Jain; Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar; Secretary Health & Medical Education, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, and other senior medical and police officers.
Secretary Health & Medical Education, briefed the Chief Minister on the steps taken so far.
He reported that health department teams had conducted door-to-door surveys of over 3,000 residents in the affected area, collecting and testing samples of water, food, and other materials.
He informed that all test results, including those for influenza and other possible contaminants, came back negative.
The meeting was informed that additional testing was carried out by premier national institutes, including ICMR, National Institute of Virology, National Centre for Disease Control, CSIR, DRDO, and PGIMER Chandigarh, but no definite cause for the deaths was identified.
Police officials informed the meeting that investigations are underway to determine the root cause of the fatalities, which have been limited to three families residing within 1.5 kilometers of each other.
Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah directed the health and police departments to expedite their investigations.