Mysterious deaths trigger lockdown in remote Kashmir village

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

Authorities in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region are probing the mysterious deaths of 17 people in a remote village, which has led to a lockdown.

Over the past month, 17 individuals from three connected families, including 12 children, have died in the village of Badhaal in the Rajouri district, situated along the Line of Control, the boundary between Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the disputed Kashmir region. The deaths took place between Dec. 7 and Jan. 19.

Around 200 people have been quarantined, while six others have been hospitalized and are in stable condition, according to officials.

Rajouri District Commissioner Abhishek Sharma declared the village a containment zone and ordered the sealing of the affected families' homes.

Sharma told Anadolu that an investigation is underway.

Expert teams are assessing potential causes of the deaths, he said, adding: “We have taken these precautions just to make sure that people’s lives are saved and we are hopeful that the experts can find out the cause of deaths soon.”

Food, water, and other necessities are being carefully monitored, he said.

While medical experts have ruled out viral or bacterial infections, there are indications that neurotoxins were present in the deceased.

Dr. Amarjeet Singh Bhatia, principal of government medical college Rajouri, told Anadolu: “We are yet to find out the actual cause of the deaths but so far as the postmortem reports are concerned, the findings show there are certain neurotoxins found.”

Union Minister Jitendra Singh also dismissed the possibility of a viral or bacterial infection.

"As per preliminary investigation conducted … it is not any infection, viral or bacterial in nature. Toxins have been found. Now, investigation is underway to ascertain what kind of toxin it is," said Singh, who is also a medical doctor.

A special investigation team, formed by the Jammu and Kashmir administration, including police officers, pathologists, and other specialists, has questioned several individuals in the village.

Initial investigations suggest that contaminated food and water may have been the cause, as villagers were advised not to drink water from a local spring after tests revealed it contained pesticides.