Mystery illness: Cause behind deaths in Rajouri village will be determined soon, says J&K CM Omar Abdullah

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during his visit to Budhal village. (Image: ANI)

Following the deaths of 17 people, due to a 'mysterious' illness, from three families in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the Budhal village to take stock of the situation.

Omar Abdullah met the families of the people who lost their lives and assured them of comprehensive efforts to determine the cause behind the tragedy, according to a report by The Times of India.

"The day when we got the information, the health department, along with other departments, has been working to understand the causes behind such incidents... Tests were done, and we reached the conclusion that there were no bacteria or viruses that caused those deaths,” Omar Abdullah said.

The J&K CM added, “We found that all those deaths happened in three families. But we are yet to find the reason behind 17 deaths. Since it's not a disease, police are also involved in it, and they have formed a team to investigate the matter. A central government team is also there, and we together will look into the incidents to find the reason behind all these deaths.”

The deaths have occurred between December 7 and January 19.

The central team, along with the local administration, is working to provide immediate relief and implement precautionary measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Led by a director-level officer from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the team spent nearly six hours in Budhal village on Monday and resumed its probe on Tuesday.

Officials said the team is collecting samples, interviewing surviving members of the three affected families and speaking with villagers.

Authorities have also sealed a village spring after its water tested positive for pesticide and insecticide traces. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) recently found neurotoxins in the samples of the deceased.

Experts from across the country have been roped in to aid in the investigation and ensure immediate relief measures.

Local residents reported that the victims experienced fever, pain, nausea, intense sweating, and loss of consciousness before succumbing within days of hospitalization.

National Conference leader and local MLA Javaid Iqbal Choudhary praised the resilience and patience of the villagers in the face of the tragedy. "Our villages are an example of communal harmony, and all are praying that the investigators find a clue so that those who lost their members could know the reason for the deaths of their kin," he said.

Highlighting the solidarity of the community during this challenging time, Surjeet Singh Thakur, a local resident, said, “The entire village is in the grip of fear and grief, but we are standing together in this testing time. We have been living in harmony, and we are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the bereaved families.”