Mysterious deaths in Rajouri: Feasts banned, spring sealed in Kashmir village

The Centre has launched a wide-ranging probe into the mysterious deaths of 17 people from three families in a small village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.

An inter-ministerial team, set up on the orders of home minister Amit Shah, visited Badhaal village on Monday (January 20) to kickstart an investigation that is expected to uncover how the residents died.

The authorities have banned feasts, whether related to weddings or religious ceremonies of the dead, for now, similar to the restrictions that were imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also read: J&K CM Abdullah visits remote village hit by mysterious deaths in Rajouri

Water source sealed off

Officials have also prohibited access to a spring in the village after its water tested positive for some pesticides and insecticides.

It all began on December 7 when five people died in Badhaal village due to unknown reasons. Ten others died soon after. The worst hit family was that of Mohammad Aslam, who lost eight members including his parents and six children.

What symptoms did the ailing have?

The last of the deaths – of a 15-year-old girl – occurred on January 19 in a Jammu hospital.

The deceased persons were from three families – Fazal Hussain’s, Mohammad Aslam’s and Mohammad Rafiq’s.

The victims complained of fever, pain, nausea, intense sweating and loss of consciousness before dying within days of their admission to hospitals.

Also read: Jammu & Kashmir CM orders probe into 16 mysterious Rajouri deaths

Feast to blame?

A few villagers suspect the deaths were linked to a recent feast in the village. There, however, is no conclusive evidence to prove this.

The central team, headed by a director, first got a briefing from local officials in Rajouri town before proceeding to the village, located about 55 km away.

The team members met the affected families before going around the village to know what had triggered the deaths. They also collected samples from the houses of these families which were sealed.

Earlier visit by experts

National Conference leader and local MLA Javid Iqbal Choudhary said the village was earlier visited by experts from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi and the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.

Earlier, a Jammu and Kashmir government spokesperson said investigation and samples showed that the fatalities were not due to a communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin.

Also read: Mysterious deaths: J-K govt monitoring situation in Rajouri village

Answers soon, says Governor

The police also set up a special team after certain neurotoxins were found in the samples of the dead.

"I think the reasons for the deaths will be known soon,” said Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday.

Deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary visited the village on Saturday and also met the families affected by the mysterious illness.