M S Nazki
Amid 17 deaths due to a mysterious disease in Badhal area of Budhal village, a youth in his early 20s from the village has been shifted in critical condition to GMC in Rajouri, officials said.
They said that the youth identified as Aijaz Ahmad was reportedly tending to some of the girls in Jammu hospital before they succumbed to the unexplained deaths recently.
Official sources told that Aijaz did not exactly show the similar symptoms like high fever, body pain, vomiting and loss of consciousness as was the case with the 17 people who died earlier, yet authorities shifted him to provide him early and timely treatment.
This comes as an inter-ministerial team led by MHA is undertaking an inquiry to unravel the disease that has already claimed the lives of 17 persons from three families.
On December 7 last, five people including four children, died of a mysterious illness after they fell ill after taking a community meal. On December 12, a woman and three children died due to an unknown illness.
On January 9, Mohammad Aslam’s six children fell ill, and all of them succumbed to it. The maternal uncle and aunt who lived with Aslam also died last week.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited Budhal village to meet the families of the 17 individuals who tragically lost their lives, impacting three families.
Expressing profound grief, the Chief Minister extended his condolences and assured the bereaved families of full support and assistance by his government, according to an official statement.
He was accompanied by Cabinet Minister Javed Rana and MLA Budhal, Javed Iqbal Choudhary, during the visit.
The Chief Minister stressed that the government’s priority is to ensure the prevention of such incidents in the future and immediate end to a spate of unfortunate deaths.
He assured the public that a detailed investigation is underway to determine the cause of the tragedy.
“The civil administration and health department are actively addressing the matter, while the police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the incident. Additionally, a central team has been deputed and is working diligently to uncover the reasons behind this unfortunate loss of life,” he stated. During the visit, MLA Budhal Javed Iqbal Choudhary submitted a proposal for compensation to the affected families.
The Chief Minister confirmed that the proposal is under active consideration and pledged timely action.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also directed Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, to extend all necessary support to the families during this difficult time.
He reassured the public that the findings of the investigation will be made transparent and that appropriate measures will be implemented based on the results.
Urging restraint in political interference, he added, “I appeal to everyone to allow the concerned agencies to perform their duties. Identifying the reasons behind these tragic deaths is our utmost priority, and we are committed to taking steps to prevent such occurrences in the future.”
