JAMMU, Jan 17: While the ‘mysterious illness’ at Badhaal village took yet another life of an elderly woman today, taking death toll up to 16, the authorities still remain clueless about the cause of these deaths even after 42 days after the first casualty.
Jatti Begum, 60, who perished from unknown causes at GMC Rajouri on Friday morning is the latest casualty in the series. Another girl, Yasmeen (15), the sixth family member of Mohd Aslam is still struggling for her life in GMC Jammu. The patient is on ventilator since last evening.
Though Special Investigation Team of Rajouri Police led by an officer of the rank of SP is investigating the case on all the angles, but the inputs gathered by the Excelsior from locals of the area indicated ‘needle of suspicion’ towards enemity over vast chunk of land held by deceased Mohd Yousuf, who had adopted Mohd Aslam as his son about a decade ago.
Local sources said that deceased Mohd Yousuf (62) and his wife- Jatti Begum who also died today, had no child. They adopted Mohd Aslam. Mohd Fazal, Mohd Rafiq and Mohd Aslam are cousins. Mohd Yousuf, the maternal uncle of Mohd Aslam is big landlord of the area. A few villagers without being quoted said that there was no mysterious disease in the area because only these families who could be obstacles for the people intend to grab this vast chunk of land could be behind this ‘death trap’. They said no other families in the area have been harmed.
The alarming series of fatalities has left the local community in shock and demanding answer from the authorities. Mohd Aslam, whose five children recently passed away, revealed that he had been adopted by his maternal uncle, Mohd Yousuf, 10 years ago. Aslam and his family had been living with Mohd Yousuf in Badhaal. He expressed disbelief over the situation, stating, “It’s puzzling that this mysterious disease is affecting only our family while no other residents of the village have been impacted. If it were a widespread illness, the tests conducted by the Health Department, which is camping in the area, should have detected it by now.”
Aslam has urged the administration to launch a thorough investigation into the matter and ensure justice is delivered to prevent such tragedies from recurring.
Meanwhile, the dead bodies of Jatti Begam (60), wife of Mohd Yousuf and Zabina Kouser (10), daughter of Mohd Aslam of Larkoti/ Badhaal were laid to rest today. Community leaders, including Molvi Mohd Farooq and social activist Surjeet Thakur, have echoed these demands, calling for an independent inquiry to uncover the truth behind the deaths of 16 family members. They emphasized the need for accountability and swift action.
Adding to the grievances, locals have expressed their frustration over the lack of basic healthcare facilities in the area. Mohd Bashir, a local resident, highlighted that for something as simple as a painkiller, villagers have to travel to Bakori or Koteranka. Villagers also criticized the surveillance team deployed to investigate the issue, claiming that tests were conducted only on the affected families and not on the entire village. They demanded comprehensive testing for all villagers to rule out the possibility of a contagious disease. They alleged that CMO has not visited Badaal villasge so far.
As a part of investigation, the authorities have sealed three houses belonging to the affected families and shifted over thirty of their close relatives to Government accommodation to be kept under strict monitoring. A team of Food Safety from the District led by Sanjeev Bali is monitoring all the diet being provided to the survivors in these families.
Yasmeen Kouser, 15, the daughter of Mohd Aslam, remains critical and is on ventilator support at SMGS Hospital in Jammu, Medical Superintendent Dr Dara Singh said late this evening.
Of the six children of Mohd Aslam admitted to SMGS Hospital, five have died.
“The situation is being fully monitored on all fronts. Many health and testing agencies are already involved in the investigation to determine the cause of these deaths,” a senior Health official said.
“There is no evidence of viral, bacterial, or fungal infections so far. Further investigations are ongoing to identify the cause. To explore any possible criminal angle, a SIT has been formed,” he said.
He ruled out a health emergency, stating that only three families in the area were affected.
Investigators will examine all food items and medicines consumed by the families of Fazal, Mohd Rafiq, and Mohd Aslam, and samples will be sent to laboratories for testing, official said.
“Tests were conducted at reputed institutions, including the National Institute of Virology (Pune), the National Centre for Disease Control (New Delhi), and others,” he said. The first incident was reported on December 7 last year when a family of seven fell ill after a community meal, resulting in five deaths.
On Wednesday night, Zabeena Kouser, 10, another child of Mohd Aslam, died at SMGS Hospital, while her 15-year-old sister Yasmeen remained critical, the official said.