JAMMU, Jan 18: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered the formation of an inter-ministerial team to visit Budhal village in Rajouri district to investigate the causes behind the deaths in three incidents over the past six weeks. At least 16 people have died from a mysterious illness in Budhal village in the last 45 days.
The team, headed by a senior official from the Union Home Ministry, will include experts from various ministries, including Health and Family Welfare, Agriculture, Chemicals and Fertilisers, and Water Resources, as per an official statement.
Experts from Animal Husbandry, Food Safety, and Forensic Science Labs will also assist the team in the investigation. The central team is set to depart on Sunday and, in collaboration with the local administration, will also focus on providing immediate relief and implementing precautionary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Top experts from some of the country’s most reputable institutions have been arranged to manage the situation and determine the causes of these deaths.
On Friday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting to address the alarming situation and ensure swift action is taken.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising police and medical experts, has also been constituted by the Jammu and Kashmir administration after several national-level testing centres ruled out any spread of disease among those found dead so far.
