Neurotoxic exposure, not infection suspected in 17 Rajouri deaths : Govt
In January last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered the constitution of an inter-ministerial team to visit Badhaal to probe the deaths
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday said that laboratory testing in the case of 17 mysterious deaths in Badhaal village of Rajouri in 2024 has provisionally indicated a “possible neurotoxic exposure” as the cause of illness, adding that the incidents “do not appear to be linked to any viral or bacterial outbreak.”
Responding to a query regarding the initial findings into the deaths—where 17 persons from three families died in Rajouri over a span of more than a month between December 2024 and January 2025—the Health Department said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and an Inter-Ministerial Investigation Team constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs are “presently examining the matter in detail to ascertain the exact cause and circumstances.”
In January last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered the constitution of an inter-ministerial team to visit Badhaal to probe the deaths. However, no conclusive report has yet been placed in the public domain.
On Saturday, the J&K government said a series of unexplained illness clusters were reported from Badhaal village between December 7, 2024 and January 24, 2025, during which several members of closely related families developed symptoms.
“These incidents occurred in four clusters involving a total of 55 affected persons, of whom 17 died. The affected individuals were promptly shifted to CHC Kandi, GMC Rajouri and SMGS Hospital, Jammu, for specialised treatment. The index patient recovered and was discharged on January 2, 2025, while subsequent clusters involved individuals from related families and those who had contact with affected households,” the Health Department said.
The government added that medical camps were set up in the affected area, and door-to-door surveillance covering 3,577 residents was carried out.
“Rapid response teams were deployed for screening and contact tracing. Samples of food, water, drugs and biological specimens were collected and sent for laboratory analysis. Isolation wards were established at GMC Rajouri and GMC Jammu,” it said.
Regarding provisional toxicological findings by CSIR–Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow and PGIMER Chandigarh, the department said the incidents do not appear to be linked to any infectious outbreak.
“Instead, the presence of toxic substances, including pesticide compounds such as Aldicarb Sulfone, Acetamiprid and Butoxycarboxim, along with elevated cadmium levels in some samples, indicates a possible neurotoxic exposure as the cause of illness,” it noted.
However, it reiterated that both the SIT and the inter-ministerial team are continuing their investigations to determine the exact cause and circumstances.
