Rajouri death toll touches 16; unexplained deaths deeply troubling, says Omar

Mysterious deaths in Rajouri's Pir Panjal valley prompt high-level meeting as death toll rises to 16.

Mysterious deaths continued in the Pir Panjal valley’s Rajouri on Friday (January 17, 2025) as the death toll touched 16 with three more deaths reported in the past three days. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting to address the “alarming situation”.

The latest victim, Jatti Begum, 60, wife of Mohammad Yousuf, succumbed within 12 hours of admission at the Government Medical College, Rajouri. Since December 7 last year, three major waves of deaths struck Badhal village and left 16 dead and at least 28 affected by unknown causes. All the deaths were reported within three families. Among the deceased were 11 children and a pregnant woman.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising police and medical experts, has been constituted after several national-level testing centres ruled out any spread of disease among those found dead so far.

Chief Minister Abdullah on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to address the alarming situation in Badhal village. “The unexplained nature of these deaths is deeply troubling, and the government is fully committed to swiftly identifying the underlying cause. I implored all departments to collaborate closely and spare no effort in resolving this pressing issue,” Mr. Abdullah said.

He said the Health department teams conducted a thorough door-to-door survey of over 3,000 residents in the affected area, “meticulously collecting and testing samples of water, food, and various materials”. 

“Despite extensive testing, including for influenza and other potential contaminants, all results came back negative. No definitive cause for the deaths was uncovered,” Mr. Abdullah said.

He said police investigations are currently under way to determine the root cause of these tragic fatalities, which have been isolated to three families residing within a 1.5-km radius of each other.