Rajouri deaths: Villagers living in isolation facilities stage protest
Demand return to their hamlets
Rajouri/Jammu: Villagers, who have been housed in one of the isolation facilities following the death of 17 people due to an unexplained illness in Badhaal village of Rajouri district, on Thursday held protest demanding they be allowed to return to their hamlet.
The protesters said while 17 people from their village have lost their lives, authorities are yet to determine the cause of these deaths. Instead, hundreds of villagers have been placed in isolation facilities.
They further expressed concern over their livestock and household belongings left behind, stating their animals were on the verge of death due to a lack of care.
Following the protest, senior administrative officers rushed to the spot and are currently holding discussions with the villagers.
The residents of this remote border village were moved to isolation facilities 12 days ago as a precautionary measure after the unexplained deaths.
Despite extensive investigations by police and medical experts, the cause of these deaths remains unknown.
With suspicions of a neurotoxin contaminating the local food chain, authorities decided to relocate affected families and their immediate contacts to quarantine facilities. Three such facilities have been set up at the district headquarters in Rajouri, they added.
As part of a major late-night action in the border district, authorities launched surprise inspections of all insecticide, pesticide, and fertilizer stores, leading to the closure of all such establishments until further notice, officials said.
Eleven patients, who were admitted to the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital after falling ill due to the mysterious illness, have fully recovered and were discharged on Monday, officials said.
A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, concluded a three-day visit to Rajouri, where they examined patients from Badhaal village and collected various samples as part of their investigation from Friday to Sunday.
During their visit, the five-member AIIMS team, including toxicology specialists, conducted interviews and recorded clinical histories of the 11 patients undergoing treatment for the mysterious illness.
Sources said doctors at GMC Rajouri administered atropine, an anti-poison drug, to the affected patients.
Badhaal village remains under containment, with 79 families still in isolation as a precautionary measure.
Eight teams of government officials are taking care of over 700 livestock in the village, ensuring food, water, and medical attention for the animals.
To safeguard the remaining 808 households, comprising 3,700 individuals, the village has been divided into 14 clusters, each monitored by multi-departmental teams comprising 182 officials, authorities said.
Meanwhile, as part of an ongoing investigation into the deaths authorities conducted surprise inspections of all insecticide, pesticide, and fertilizer stores in the district and initiated their closure.
Officials said eleven patients who were admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital (GMC) after falling ill due to a mysterious illness in Badhaal village of Rajouri district have fully recovered and been discharged on Tuesday.
In a major late-evening action taken by authorities in the border district, surprise inspections of all insecticide, pesticide, and fertilizer stores have been initiated followed by the closure of all these stores until further orders.
This action was going on as per latest reports.
Joint teams from the department of agriculture, department of food and drugs control organisation, assisted by police and headed by an executive magistrate, conducted simultaneous surprise inspections at all these outlets located across the district.
The number of these outlets is believed to be around two hundred and fifty.
“Sampling of all kinds of insecticides, pesticides, and fertilizers has been done, and samples are being seized at the site followed by the sealing of business establishments until sample reports are received,” an official said.
The officials further stated that this exercise has been undertaken by government authorities as part of the ongoing investigation and legal action following 17 mysterious deaths in Badhaal village over the past nine weeks, with the causes of these deaths still unclear.
They said the action is expected to continue into day two, Thursday.
A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, concluded a three-day visit to Rajouri. They examined patients from Badhaal village and collected various samples as part of their investigation into the recent deaths in the area.
During their visit, a five-member team of AIIMS Delhi experts, including specialists in toxicology, conducted interviews and recorded clinical histories from the 11 patients currently undergoing treatment for the mysterious illness responsible for 17 deaths in Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources said doctors at GMC Rajouri treated the 11 patients with Atropine, an anti-poison drug.
Badhaal village remains under containment, with 79 families still in isolation as a precautionary measure, they added.
Press Trust of India
