Inter-Ministerial experts team visited Badhaal, interacted with victim’s parents and lifted samples

Yasmeen, 6th & last child of Mohd Aslam laid to rest amid heart-wrenching scenes.
Authorities put a ban on feasts, marriages, and social gatherings in the Badhaal area.

Shyam Sood
Rajouri, January 20: Highest-level Inter-Ministerial experts team, constituted on the direction of Home Minister Amit Shah to ascertain the cause of 17 deaths during the last 43 days, visited village Badhaal on Monday and interacted with members of the victim’s families.
Meanwhile, the last and sixth child Yasmeen (15 yrs) of Mohd Aslam-who was on ventilator for the last 3 days died on Sunday in SGMS hospital-laid to rest at about 8 pm near her five siblings amid pal of heart-wrenching scenes. Yasmeen and her five siblings, including two brothers were admitted in SMGS hospital on January 12 and all the six died within a week.
About 14 members of the highest level Inter-Ministerial team of experts reached Badhaal amid tight security and remained there for about hours. The members, divided in two teams, visited the houses of late Fazal Hussain, Mohd Rafiq and Mohd Aslam.
Except team members, no other person was allowed to enter the houses. At Fazal Hussain’s house the team members met with his father Nizam Din and discussed circumstances that led to the deaths of his family members. Team members also interacted with Mohd Aslam and his wife, who lost 6 children and maternal uncle and aunty, Mohd Rafiq whose three children and pregnant wife died due to unidentified disease.
Mohd Aslam’s children and maternal uncle & aunty developed complications after they had taken ‘Sweet Rice’ in a ‘Khatm’ or ‘Fatiha’ function organised by their grand-father (Nana) Nizam Din in memory of his son Fazal Hussain and four grand-children.
The team members also lifted samples from these houses for further examination.
In the late evening hours, the Inter-Ministerial team held a detailed meeting with senior officers of the civil, police, health and other concerned departments and discussed the ongoing efforts related to the Badhaal tragedy/ mysterious deaths.
The authorities in Koteranka have put a ban on social gatherings, marriages, feasts, etc in the Badhaal area. Meanwhile people have raised fingers on the sealing of a natural water source (spring) in Badhaal village after authorities claimed that water has been tested positive for some pesticides/insecticides. People said the spring is between 2-3 kilometres away from the houses of Fazal Hussain and Mohd Aslam and most of the inhabitants use this water as Jal Shakti department (PHE) failed to provide tap water in this area. Out of about 38 people affected by the mysterious illness and were isolated in different hospitals in Jammu & Rajouri, 17 -including a 5 months pregnant woman- died.
Fazal Hussain, who was the first victim, and his four children died between December 7 &10.
Three children of Mohd Rafiq and his wife died between December 12 & 23.
Six children of Mohd Aslam died between January 12 & 19.
Mohd Aslam’s maternal uncle Mohd Yousuf and aunty Jatti Begam died between January 13 & 16.
In the month of December experts from reputed institutions of the country visited Badhaal and examined the samples lifted by them but they have not yet been able to identify the cause of deaths.
Even Health Minister Sakina Itoo also said that the reports so far have ruled out viral, bacterial or microbiological infections.
However, experts claimed that ‘certain neurotoxins’ have been found in the samples of those who have died so far.