A high-level inter-ministerial team has arrived in Jammu’s Rajouri district, where a mysterious illness has claimed 17 lives, with another child succumbing on Sunday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah constituted the team on Saturday to investigate the deaths that occurred within weeks in three interconnected families in the remote Badhaal village.
The latest victim, Yasmeen Kousar, the last surviving child of Mohd Aslam’s family, died Sunday evening at SMGS Hospital, Jammu.
Kousar’s death follows the demise of her five siblings and both grandparents last week. Previously, nine members of two other families in the village had passed away between December 7 and 12.
“The J&K Health Department and other agencies have been investigating, but the exact cause of the deaths remains undetermined. The Home Minister has dispatched an inter-ministerial expert team, which has arrived in Rajouri,” Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said.
He added that a special investigation team (SIT) set up by the police is probing the incidents from all angles.
“We will share updates once the facts are clear,” he said.
The 16-member central team, accompanied by local officials, reached Rajouri district headquarters last evening and is expected to visit Badhaal village, located 55 km away, on Monday.
Experts from leading national institutions have been engaged to identify the cause of the illness, which has left the government and health authorities perplexed.
Victims experienced symptoms such as fever, pain, nausea, and loss of consciousness before succumbing within days of hospitalisation.
The team will coordinate with the local administration to monitor the situation and provide relief to the affected families.
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