Srinagar: The situation in the Badhaal village of Rajouri district continues to be worrisome, with four more persons, including three siblings, falling ill in the past 24 hours. This comes amidst an ongoing investigation into mysterious deaths that have claimed 17 lives over the last 50 days.
News agency KNO quoted officials as saying that the latest case involving 25-year-old Aijaz Ahmed, who was attending patients at GMC Jammu, has intensified concerns. Ahmed was airlifted to PGI Chandigarh during the night, where his condition is reported to be stable.
Three siblings from the family of Bagga Khan also fell ill and were shifted to GMC Rajouri, and the officials said they too were being airlifted to PGI Chandigarh for further treatment.
Local legislator Javed Iqbal Choudhary said the situation is of serious concern and that the government is making all-out efforts to manage the crisis.
“The seriousness of the government is evident as Aijaz was airlifted to Chandigarh, and arrangements are underway to shift other patients as well,” he said.
Principal, GMC Rajouri, Dr Amarjeet Singh Bhatia said all fatalities exhibited brain involvement and nervous system damage. “Among nine admitted patients, five have recovered, but recovery becomes challenging once the brain is affected,” Dr Singh said, adding that preventive measures and public awareness campaigns are being prioritised to curb further risks.
Meanwhile, the inter-ministerial team, constituted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and led by a director-level officer from the Ministry of Home Affairs, continued its investigation for the third consecutive day. Experts from the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Chemicals, and Water Resources, as well as forensic departments from Chandigarh and Lucknow, are actively involved. (With inputs from KNO, KINS)
Badhaal village declared containment zone
The remote Badhaal village in Rajouri district was on Wednesday declared a containment zone and prohibitory orders imposed on all public and private gatherings in the wake of the death of 17 people belonging to three families, officials said.
Another person belonging to the village has been admitted to a hospital in a critical condition, they said.
The containment orders have been imposed under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Section 163 of BNSS gives magistrates the power to issue written orders in urgent situations. These orders can be used to prevent or remedy nuisance or dangers.
According to the order issued by additional district magistrate (Rajouri) Rajeev Kumar Khajuria, the village has been divided into three containment zones – the first covering all families where deaths have occurred.
“The houses of these affected families shall be sealed and entry will be totally restricted for all individuals, including their family members, unless otherwise authorized by the designated officers/officials.”
In the containment zone 2, the order said the members of all families identified as close contacts of affected individuals be shifted to Government Medical College, Rajouri for continuous health monitoring which is mandatory.
All households will be covered under the containment zone-3 and staff will be deployed to ensure the continuous monitoring of food consumption, deployment of police personnel to enforce compliance and deployment of designated officers for maintenance of log books, the order said.
“All public and private gatherings are hereby prohibited within the jurisdiction of these containment zones, in order to prevent further spread of the infection,” the order said.
It said the designated officials shall be responsible for monitoring all meals provided to families in containment zones.
“It is mandatory for affected families and their close contacts to consume only the food and water provided by the administration. Any other food items available in the households are strictly prohibited for consumption,” the order said.
It ordered immediate replacement of all food and water supplies, and seizure of all edible materials in the infected households.
The fresh steps were taken after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the village on Tuesday.
Seventeen persons belonging to three families linked to each other have died under suspicious circumstances in the village between December 7 and January 19.
