close_game
close_game

Amit Shah orders inter-ministerial team to probe deaths in Jammu’s Rajouri

Jan 18, 2025 08:53 PM IST

At least 15 deaths have been reported from the Badhaal village in Jammu’s Rajouri district in past six weeks due to a mysterious illness

New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah has ordered constitution of an inter-ministerial team, which will visit the Badhaal village in Jammu’s Rajouri district to ascertain the causes of 15 deaths in past six weeks due to a mysterious illness, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said on Saturday.

Union home minister Amit Shah. (File Photo)
Union home minister Amit Shah. (File Photo)

The inter-ministerial team will be led by the MHA officials and will consist of experts from the ministries of health and family welfare, agriculture, chemicals and fertilisers and water resources. It will also be assisted by experts from animal husbandry, food safety and forensic science labs, MHA said in a statement.

“Union home minister Amit Shah has ordered the constitution of an Inter-Ministerial Team led by the MHA to visit the affected village to ascertain the causes of deaths in 3 incidents in the past six weeks in Jammu’s Rajouri district,” the ministry said.

It further said 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 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,” MHA said.

The incident came to light on December 7, 2024, when a family of seven fell ill after a community meal, resulting in five fatalities. On December 12, a family of nine related to them got affected, claiming three lives.

Exactly a month later on January 12, a family of 10 fell ill after consuming another community meal with six children requiring hospitalisation. Of them, five children have died and the sixth is critical. A 60-year-old woman died on Friday morning.

According to the local health officials, as reported by HT on Friday, investigations and samples empirically indicate that the incidents are not due to a communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin and that there is no public health angle. All samples have tested negative for any viral or bacteriological etiology.

However, the toxicological analysis conducted by CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR) has detected toxins in multiple biological specimens.

Amid speculation of a property dispute and internal enmity, the Rajouri police have formed a special investigation team (SIT) to look into the deaths.

rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
See More
Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On