Jammu: Villagers from Badhaal in Jammu and Kashmir’s Border district Rajouri staged a protest on Thursday, demanding their release from the quarantine centres after the mysterious death of 17 residents.
Following the deaths in the village, the administration declared Badhaal a containment zone and more than 300 residents were sent to the quarantine centres— Boys Higher Secondary School and Nursing College in Rajouri.
The villagers in these quarantined centres today raised slogans against the administration, criticising its failure to provide clarity on the cause of the deaths. They also urged authorities to allow them to return home to take care of their livestock.
Assistant Development Commissioner (ADC) Kotranka told ETV Bharat that the decision to release those in quarantine lies with the health department. However, he assured that the administration is taking full care of the villagers' livestock, providing water and fodder regularly.
Seventeen people in Badhaal village of Rajouri died due to a mysterious illness, prompting health officials from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), along with a high-level inter-ministerial team from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), to investigate. However, no clue has been provided to date about the mysterious deaths.
Doctors at Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri ruled out communicable diseases, shifting focus to possible poisoning. Toxicological analysis of the deceased’s biological samples found neurotoxins, deepening the mystery.
Following the deaths, including half a dozen minors, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with several ministers, visited Badhaal last month. While no new cases have been reported recently, authorities continue to ‘monitor’ the situation and have quarantined over 300 villagers.
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