‘We were never more afraid,’ say people in J&K village struck by series of mysterious deaths

Badhaal (J-K), Jan 18 (PTI) Fear and grief writ large on their faces, people in this remote mountain village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district are stunned by a series of mysterious deaths which happened one after other over the past 45 days.

A local said their fear of death was never so high, not even during the covid pandemic, or when the militancy was at its peak.

The authorities have ruled out the possibility of any communicable disease behind the deaths.

A newly formed special investigation team of police has rounded up over 60 people for questioning as part of its investigation after autopsy reports by CSIR-IITR revealed the presence of neurotoxins.

On Friday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting here to discuss the situation in Badhaal village of Kotranka sub-division and directed health and police departments to expedite investigations.

Located about 55km from Rajouri district headquarters, the villagers are in gripped by fear and want the mystery to be resolved already.

People complained of fever, pain, nausea and loss of consciousness before dying within days of their admission to the hospitals. A girl alone was able to buck the trend and withstand the condition for days. Her condition though continues to be critical.

According to a doctor, the MRI scan of the patients revealed oedema in the brain, a condition where fluid builds up in the brain tissue.

“It is a big challenge for all of us … I appeal to the people that if anyone has any clue, please come forward and help in the ongoing investigations,” National Conference leader and local Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Javid Iqbal Choudhary told PTI.

A new graveyard has come up in the village on an agriculture land belonging to Mohammad Aslam, who lost five children and his maternal uncle and aunt, who adopted him, between January 12 and 17.

Aslam’s brother-in-law Fazal Hussain and his four children were the first to die under suspicious circumstances in the village on December 7. They were initially believed to have perished to food poisoning for the family had attended a wedding just before.

The pregnant wife of Mohd Rafiq, a cousin of Aslam, and her three children died on December 12.

“The government responded to the situation in a very sensitive manner, leaving nothing to chance. Health teams from within and outside J&K were mobilised and all the villagers were screened within the shortest possible time,” Choudhary said.

He said the chief minister has been monitoring the situation since day one.

“The meeting chaired by the chief minister was informed that a total of 68 people have been rounded up for questioning by the SIT,” he said, expressing hope that everything will become clear once the probe is complete.

A grieving Aslam did not rule out a “conspiracy” against his family.

“Hundreds of people had a feast but only Hussain and his children died first. A few days later my cousin’s wife and children passed away and then death reached my doorstep. How is it that only our family perished like this?” he said, adding that his family had meals at Hussain’s house where a special prayer meeting was held to mark the 40th day since the deaths.

He said fear has gripped the villagers to such an extent that many avoided meeting him when he was grief-stricken.

Zaheer Ahmad Gorsi, a local social activist, said the villagers are yet to come to terms with the unexplained deaths. “A new graveyard has to be prepared … It is a testing time for the whole village.”

Zahid Shah, a relative of Aslam, said he has full faith in the administration and the police.

“This type of fear was not there even when militancy was at its peak or during the COVID-19 pandemic. People are not coming forward even to dig the grave for the dead,” Nazim Din, another relative, said.

Earlier, a government spokesperson said investigations and samples empirically indicate that the incidents were not due to a communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin and that there is no public health angle.

“All samples taken from the victims and the villagers have tested negative for any viral or bacteriological aetiology. The tests were conducted on different samples in some of the most reputed labs in the country.

The toxicological analysis conducted by CSIR-IITR has detected toxins in multiple biological specimens.

The chief minister said the administration is treating the situation with the highest priority.

“The health and safety of our people remain our top priority. The government is fully committed to resolving this crisis and ensuring justice for the affected families,” Abdullah earlier said.