Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 28: More than fifteen months after a devastating wave of unexplained deaths swept through Badhal village in Rajouri district's Kandi block, the mystery remains stubbornly unsolved. Between December 7, 2024, and January 24, 2025, seventeen residents — thirteen of them children — died within a span of just 49 days, sending shockwaves across Jammu and Kashmir.
The case came before the Legislative Assembly on Saturday, when Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo responded in writing to a query raised by MLA Budhal Choudhary Javed Iqbal.
While confirming that toxic substances had been found in samples collected from the village, the Minister stressed that an expert panel is still working to determine the precise cause of the deaths.
Provisional findings from two leading scientific institutions — CSIR–Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, and PGIMER, Chandigarh — have ruled out a viral or bacterial origin. Instead, toxicological analysis has pointed toward neurotoxic exposure, with pesticide compounds including Aldicarb Sulfone, Acetamiprid, and Butoxycarboxim detected in certain samples, along with elevated cadmium levels in some specimens.
The illness struck in four separate clusters, collectively affecting 55 individuals across closely related families. Victims presented with a constellation of alarming symptoms: abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, drowsiness, breathlessness, and altered consciousness. Patients were rushed to CHC Kandi, GMC Rajouri, and SMGS Hospital Jammu for emergency care, and while 38 patients ultimately recovered and were discharged, seventeen did not survive.
The index patient, however, recovered and was discharged on January 2, 2025. Subsequent clusters drew in patients from related families and others who had been in contact with affected households.
Authorities moved swiftly. Isolation wards were set up at GMC Rajouri, GMC Jammu, and SMGS Hospital Jammu. Medical camps were established in the affected area, and door-to-door health surveillance was conducted across 3,577 residents. Rapid response teams were deployed for screening and contact tracing, while samples of food, water, medicine, and biological specimens were dispatched for laboratory analysis. Round-the-clock ambulance services and medical teams remained stationed in the area.
The situation was reviewed at the highest levels of the administration, with the Chief Minister, Health Minister, and Chief Secretary all directly involved. Expert teams from ICMR, NCDC, PGIMER Chandigarh, AIIMS New Delhi, and several other national institutions were brought in to assist the investigation. |
