Rajouri, Jan 21: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday stated that presently the Government had no clue why mysterious deaths took place in Badhaal village yet assured that very soon, all answers would be found out and justice would be ensured.
He gave this assurance during his visit to Badhaal village in Rajouri to meet the families of the 17 individuals, who tragically lost their lives to an unexplained disease, impacting three families, since December 7, 2024.
Expressing profound grief, the Chief Minister extended his condolences and assured the bereaved families of full support and assistance by his government.
Mysterious deaths have caused widespread panic and scare in the area as the cause behind them is yet to be ascertained despite efforts by top-level experts and institutes from across the country.
During his visit, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah offered prayers at the graveyard of victims and then visited the families that lost their loved ones during these mysterious deaths.
CM Omar, besides meeting the members of victim families, also interacted with villagers who had assembled in the area.
“I am deeply pained over these deaths and there are no words to state this tragedy,” said the Chief Minister.
“I am here to offer my sympathies with you people and assure you that the entire Government is standing next to you,” he added.
In his interaction with families, CM Omar Abdullah said, “Presently we have no answer to these mysterious deaths.”
He also mentioned ongoing investigation by different investigation teams including police, medical experts and experts from the country’s top institutes.
“Why has this happened? We need an answer to this question. It’s not a disease, so a police investigation is underway. They have formed a special investigation team and will complete their probe. The Centre has also deputed a team which is collecting samples and doing their activities. It is working diligently to uncover the reasons behind this unfortunate loss of life. I want to assure all that the joint efforts of civil administration, police, and the Government of India will find out the answers to all questions about what had happened,” he assured.
“There is no possibility of this to be a disease as only three families closely related to each other are involved. But the Government is working closely monitoring the situation and all required measures will be taken,” he stated.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by the cabinet minister Javed Rana and MLA Budhal, Javed Iqbal Choudhary, during the visit.
CM Omar stressed that the government’s priority was to ensure the prevention of such incidents in the future and an immediate end to a spate of unfortunate deaths.
He assured the public that a detailed investigation was underway to determine the cause of the tragedy.
During the visit, MLA Budhal Javed Iqbal Choudhary submitted a proposal for compensation to the affected families.
The Chief Minister confirmed that the proposal was under active consideration and pledged timely action.
He also directed Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, to extend all necessary support to the families during this difficult time.
The Chief Minister reassured the public that the findings of the investigation would be made transparent and that appropriate measures would be implemented based on the results.
Urging restraint in political interference, he added, “I appeal to everyone to allow the concerned agencies to perform their duties. Identifying the reasons behind these tragic deaths is our utmost priority, and we are committed to taking steps to prevent such occurrences in the future.”
Responding to media queries, the Chief Minister said building big hospitals everywhere was not possible but inadequacy in the health sector at district levels would be addressed to provide better healthcare facilities to people in remote pockets.
He said his government responded immediately on getting information about the tragedy.
“The health department mobilised its teams and also involved other departments. The district administration also tried to understand the reasons,” he said.
Asked about opposition criticism of his government over the handling of the situation, the Chief Minister said he would not like to do politics on such a happening.
“Had we worked in haste and taken any wrong step, then you would have blamed us. The administration responded to the situation in a right way and the local MLA was there on the ground, taking the people into confidence and keeping them informed,” he said.
