Centre’s team reaches Rajouri; death toll rises to 17
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday said that the efforts are on to ascertain the cause of mysterious deaths in Budhal village of Rajouri District. Seventeen people have died during the past 45 days.
“The Health Department of J&K and other departments also conducted an investigation into the matter but the correct facts could not be ascertained, the LG told reporters, adding that Home Minister Amit Shah has already constituted inter-ministerial panel and they have arrived. He said police have also set up a special investigation team to probe from other angles. “We will brief you once the reality comes to the fore,” Sinha said.
Yasmeen Kousar, the last of the six children of Mohd Aslam undergoing treatment at SMGS hospital in Jammu, died this evening, officials said.
Kousar’s five siblings and grandparents died last week. Nine other members of two families had died in the village between December 7 and 12.
Officials said the 16-member team arrived at Rajouri district headquarters this evening and is likely to visit the mountain village, 55km from the town, on Monday.
The central team will work in collaboration with the local administration to provide immediate relief to the victims. Experts from some of the most reputable institutions in the country have been roped in to understand the causes of the deaths.
The patients complained of fever, pain, nausea and loss of consciousness before dying within days of their admission to hospitals.
Earlier, a Jammu and Kashmir government spokesperson said investigations and samples empirically indicated that the incidents were not due to a communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin and that there is no public health angle.
