‘Look into deaths like Billawar, Kulgam’
Govt says wait for outcome of ongoing probe
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 19: Issue of the deaths of 17 civilians at village Badhaal in Budhal area of Rajouri district in the months of December and January echoed in the Assembly today with some of the MLAs including NC legislator Javed Choudhary demanding a CBI probe saying the deaths appeared to be linked with Billawar (Kathua) and Kulgam (where too seven civilians have died under mysterious circumstances so far).
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However, Health and Medical Education Department Sakina Itoo said an inquiry is already being conducted into the deaths and asked the MLAs to wait for its overcome.
Issue figured in the Legislative Assembly during Question Hour when Itoo replied to first question tabled by NC MLA from Budhal Javed Choudhary and informed the House that clinical reports, laboratory investigations and environmental samples indicated that the incidents are not due to communicable diseases of bacterial or viral origin and have pointed instead to traces of aluminium, cadmium, and specific chemical compounds in food and environmental samples.
“PGIMER Chandigarh revealed presence of aluminium and cadmium while CSIR-IITS Lucknow found Aldicarb sulphate and Acetamipride Dlethyil dithiocarbamte and chlorphenapyr. DRDI-DRDO Gwalior found Chlorphenapyr, Abrin from samples of Sattu and Maize bread while NFL, FSSAI Ghaziabad detected Chlorphenapyr and Chlorpyrophos from food samples. The CFSL Chandigarh revealed Chlorphenapyr, an insecticide, in viscera samples of all 17 accused,” the Minister said in the written reply.
She said the authorities continue to probe the source of chlorphenapyr contamination, with forensic and toxicological analyses. She added that police and Health departments are working closely to trace the origin of the poisoning and prevent further casualties.
Raising supplementaries Javed Choudhary said the reply revealed presence of different type of toxins in the bodies of the persons who lost their lives but the bigger question is who gave them the poison. Investigations revealed different samples had different variants but why it was given and who gave it remained the unanswered questions, he added.
“These incidents shouldn’t be taken lightly and be treated as part of larger conspiracy. They should be equated with the deaths of civilians in Kathua (Billawar) and Kulgam. The inquiry should be handed over to the CBI or the Crime Branch to know exact cause of the deaths which is still unknown,” Choudhary said.
It may be mentioned that five civilians have died in Billawar during past one month while out of three missing civilians in Kulgam, bodies of two have been recovered.
Independent MLA from Surankote Choudhary Akram also demanded CBI inquiry into Badhaal as well as Kathua and Kulgam deaths. He regretted that nobody is listening to them.
CPIM member M Y Tarigami echoed similar sentiments, stressing the need to investigate potential external factors that could pose risks beyond Badhaal village.
“We must ascertain if there are any invisible hands involved in it that could impact other regions. We need to go into roots of the case.,” Tarigami said.
“It is concern of the full House. It is unprecedented incident. Such incidents have never taken place in J-K. Although the Government has taken all measures but root cause is not still known”, the CPM veteran said, and demanded credible inquiry into the deaths followed by briefing to the House.
The Minister, however, requested the members to wait for outcome of the ongoing inquiry report saying if something is required to be done further, the Government will definitely do.
In her reply, Sakina Itoo said an investigation is underway into the recent death of 17 people in remote Badhaal village, with clinical reports and laboratory investigations detecting presence of insecticides in the viscera Samples of the deceased.
Seventeen people, including 13 children, died between December 7 and January 19 in the village. The deaths have sparked widespread concern among lawmakers and locals alike.
Giving further details about the measures taken, the Minister said the Government’s response includes deploying clinical teams from renowned institutions such as PGIMER Chandigarh and AIIMS New Delhi to collaborate with local health authorities in addressing the crisis.
Providing details, she stated that 64 patients were admitted to Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri, of whom 41 have been discharged. Seventeen critical patients were referred to GMC in Jammu, and one patient was transferred to PGI Chandigarh for advanced treatment.
“A standardised treatment policy, formulated by experts from AIIMS New Delhi and PGI Chandigarh, has been implemented at GMC Rajouri. Strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were followed at GMC Jammu, where three patients were admitted, two of whom were kept in isolation”, she said.
Itoo said at SMGS Hospital Jammu, Ward 19 was converted into an isolation unit, and a specialist team was deployed, including consultants, senior residents, and Post Graduate doctors.
She said the crisis unfolded on December 7, 2024, when the first cluster of deaths was reported in village Badhaal, Rajouri. Initial suspicion pointed to food poisoning, prompting health and food safety teams to collect samples. On December 12, a second wave of cases emerged, intensifying concerns. She said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on January 14 to probe the mysterious deaths.
The families of the deceased have been provided financial assistance from the Red Cross fund by the Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri, she added.
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