
Aslam’s nephew serious, being referred to PGI
* Central team continues probe at Badhaal
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Jan 21: While asserting that a probe is underway to uncover the mystery behind 17 deaths at Badhaal village in Rajouri district, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today assured the people that all questions will be answered soon.
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Talking to media-persons during his visit to the crisis hit Badhaal village today to express sympathy with the bereaved families, Omar said building big hospitals everywhere is not possible but inadequacy in the Health sector at district levels will be addressed to provide better healthcare facilities to people in remote and far-flung areas.
“Why this happened? We need an answer to this question. It’s not a disease, so a police investigation is underway. They have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and will complete their probe into the whole issue shortly,” he said.
“The Centre has also deputed a team which is collecting samples and doing their activities. I want to assure all that the joint efforts of civil administration, police and the Government of India will find out the answers to all questions about what had happened,” the Chief Minister said.
Omar said his Government responded immediately on getting information about the tragedy.
“The Health and Medical Education department mobilized its teams and also involved other departments. The district administration is also trying to understand the reasons behind the deaths and doing its best,” the CM added. Click here to watch video
“First, the focus was to know whether this is the result of any disease and in case, it is a disease, our biggest responsibility was to ensure that it does not spread. All the tests were conducted and the results revealed that there is no bacteria or virus,” Omar said.
He said the investigation is ongoing and so far no concrete reason was found about the unfortunate deaths in the three families, mostly of children.
Asked about opposition criticism of his Government over the handling of the situation, the CM said he would not like to do politics on such a happening.
“Had we worked in haste and taken any wrong step, then you would have blamed us (for the deaths). The administration responded to the situation in a right way and the local MLA (Javaid Iqbal Choudhary) was there on the ground, taking the people into confidence and keeping them informed.
“We took time because we failed to establish the reason for the deaths. But we will expose the truth though it will take two or three more days and we have no issues with it,” he said, adding “we will come out with the answers to all the questions”.
The Chief Minister said he had talked to the Deputy Commissioner and the MLA who have given some suggestions which will be implemented soon.
Responding to another question about the need to improve health infrastructure, the Chief Minister said you cannot build big hospitals everywhere, which are sanctioned as far as need, population, requirement and situation.
“Big hospitals cannot be built in remote areas but we will try to address any shortcoming in Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres and Sub District Hospitals in J&K, ” he added.
Earlier, accompanied by Minister for Jal Shakti Department Javed Rana, MLA Budhal Javed Iqbal Choudhary, Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, SSP Rajouri Gaurav Sikarwar and other officers, the Chief Minister arrived at Badhaal village and met the family members of those who lost their dear ones due to ‘mysterious illness’.
Expressing profound grief, the Chief Minister extended his condolences and assured the bereaved families of full support and assistance by his Government.
He 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.
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.
He directed the 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.”
Meanwhile, another villager from Badhaal turned sick during the day on Tuesday and was brought to Kandi hospital for treatment by the family members. Identified as 25-year-old, Mohd Ajaz, he is said to be nephew of Mohd Aslam who lost his six children due to `mysterious illness’.
The doctors at CHC Kandi said that youth developed pain in the stomach and was also feeling difficulty in urinating. He was shifted to GMC Hospital Rajouri. After performing some tests he was later referred to GMC Jammu late in the evening.
Principal of GMC Rajouri, Dr AS Bhatia said that the condition of Ajaz turned serious and he was further referred to GMC Jammu along with a Medical team in a ventilator fitted Ambulance.
He is further being airlifted to PGI Chandigarh with the intervention of divisional and district administration.
A senior district official said that high-level inter-ministerial team comprising 14 members visited Badhaal village in Rajouri district on the second day of their mission to investigate the mysterious deaths of 17 members of three families. The tragic incident has raised serious concerns, prompting the Central Government to dispatch experts from some of the country’s most reputable institutions to ascertain the causes of these fatalities.
The Central team, led by GK Garg, Director in the Ministry of Home Affairs, arrived at Rajouri district headquarters on Sunday evening. They were briefed extensively by senior officials from the district administration, health, and police departments before proceeding to the affected village.
The team visited Badhaal on second day and met with the bereaved families to understand the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. The team also collected samples of food items from the houses of Mohd Rafeeq, Mohd Aslam, Fazal Hussain, and Nizam Din. Authorities had earlier sealed a local spring in the village after water samples tested positive for pesticides/insecticides. The sealed spring is believed to be a potential source of contamination.
During their visit, the Central team held a meeting with the District administration to discuss immediate measures and further steps to manage the situation. Experts are now analyzing the collected samples to determine the exact cause of the deaths, with initial indications pointing towards possible contamination of food or water.
The visit of this team underscores the Central Government’s commitment to addressing this grave incident promptly and effectively, ensuring that no stone is left unturned in uncovering the root cause of the tragedy and preventing such occurrences in the future, the official added.