Rajouri mystery deaths: Administration orders containment zones amid more hospitalisations in J&K

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the Budhal village. (Image: ANI)

The district administration in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district has ordered three “containment zones” in Budhal village as cases of the mysterious illness continue to rise. The area has been sealed.

This comes a day after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited Budhal to assure village residents that the Rajouri civil administration was “actively addressing the matter.”

17 deaths have been reported so far. All the deaths were reported from three families in the village.

With symptoms similar to those of the 17 people who died since December 7, four more people, including minors, were brought to the Government Medical College Hospital, Rajouri, with fever and breathing troubles.

One of the four victims, Aijaz Ahmed, was brought to GMC on Tuesday, while his siblings – were hospitalized on Wednesday, reported The Indian Express, quoting authorities.

Aijaz has now been sent to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, an official source said.

With the cause behind the mysterious deaths still unclear, an inter-ministerial team and experts from the Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry on Tuesday attributed the deaths to pesticide contamination in a nearby baoli (water reservoir). However, the local authorities have yet to establish a direct link between the water and the deaths.

As per the order of Rajouri’s Additional District Magistrate Rajeev Kumar Khajuria, “Containment Zone 1” comprises the affected families whose houses have now been sealed to outsiders, with only designated officials authorizing entry.

“Containment Zone 2” is for the families identified as close contacts of the affected individuals, with the administration seeking the “immediate shifting of individuals from these families to GMC Rajouri” and mandatory and “continuous health monitoring.”

“Containment Zone 3” comprises all other households of Budhal village.

For “continuous health monitoring,” over two dozen individuals from Budhal have been admitted to isolation wards set up at Rajouri’s GMC.

The Rajouri district administration is distributing food items and water packets three times a day in an attempt to prevent any more “infections,” as per the sources.

Meanwhile, round-the-clock police deployment has also been set up in the village, with designated officers maintaining logs of food distribution and consumption three times a day.

A source informed, “The district administration has also prohibited all public and private gatherings within the containment zones.”

CM Omar Abdullah, during his visit to the village, had said that a central team has been deputed and is working diligently to uncover the reasons behind unfortunate deaths.