CM offers support to families of deceased at Badhaal village

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited Badhaal village in Rajouri district on Tuesday, where 17 people have tragically lost their lives under unexplained circumstances.

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Abdullah met with the family members of the deceased and assured them that investigations by experts and the police are underway to determine the cause of the deaths.

“I visited the village to express my support for the grieving families who have lost 17 members, including 13 children, under mysterious circumstances over the past month and a half,” Abdullah said.

Upon arriving at the mountainous village, Abdullah paid his respects at the graveyards and offered prayers for the deceased. He was accompanied by Cabinet Minister Javed Ahmed Rana and MLA Javaid Iqbal Choudhary.

“I want to assure the victim families that they have the full support of the government during this difficult time. We will provide all necessary assistance and take any required steps to address the situation. They are not alone in their grief, we stand with them during this challenging period,” the CM stated.

The CM further explained that the Health Department, along with other relevant departments, is working to identify the reasons behind the deaths. “It was important to confirm whether a disease was responsible for the deaths so that further fatalities could be prevented. However, after conducting tests, it was found that it doesn’t appear to be caused by a bacterial or viral infection. All the victims, most of whom are children, belong to three families,” CM Abdullah said.

Abdullah added that he had spoken with the Deputy Commissioner and local MLAs to ensure that relief is provided to the affected families. “We now need to understand how this tragedy occurred. The police have started an investigation, and a team from the central government has also been dispatched,” he further noted.

Meanwhile, an inter-ministerial team, formed by Home Minister Amit Shah, continued its investigation for the second day.

It has been reported that the team collected various samples from the village, which will be examined as part of the probe.