New Delhi [India]: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has instructed the formation of an inter-ministerial team, led by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), to probe the mysterious deaths reported in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district over the past six weeks.
According to Shah’s directive, the team will visit the affected village in Rajouri to investigate the causes of the unexplained deaths.
“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. Experts from animal husbandry, food safety, and forensic science labs will also assist in the investigation,” a statement from the Home Ministry said.
The team is scheduled to depart on January 19 and, in coordination with the local administration, will focus on providing immediate relief to the affected residents while implementing precautionary measures to prevent future incidents.
“Experts from some of the most reputed institutions of the country have been arranged to manage the situation and understand the causative factors of the deaths,” the statement added.
This intervention comes after mysterious deaths in Rajouri’s Pir Panjal Valley continued, with the death toll reaching 16 by January 17. Three more deaths were reported in the past three days.
The latest victim, 60-year-old Jatti Begum, wife of Mohammad Yousuf, passed away within 12 hours of being admitted to the Government Medical College in Rajouri.
Since December 7 of the previous year, Badhal village has been struck by three waves of deaths, resulting in 16 fatalities and at least 28 affected individuals. All the deaths have occurred within three families, including 11 children and a pregnant woman.
To investigate further, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) composed of police and medical experts. This move follows the ruling out of any disease spread by several national-level testing centers.