Srinagar, Mar 19: The Health and Medical Education Department has informed the Jammu and Kashmir Govt. that the administration provided ex-gratia relief to families (kin of deceased) following deaths caused by mysterious disease at Budhal village in Rajouri earlier this year.
The department provided this information in the Legislative Assembly in response to a starred question by MLA Javeed Iqbal Choudhary regarding ex-gratia relief for the kin of the deceased.
The house was informed that the ex-gratia relief from the Red Cross Fund was provided to deceased family members in Budhal, District Rajouri, by the Deputy Commissioner.
The reply said Shamim Akhter, Mohd Rafiq, and Mohd Aslam received Rs 1,00,000 each, while Rs 50,000 was disbursed through the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Koteranka.
In response to another question on the present status of investigations into causes of mysterious illness and deaths, the house was informed that clinical reports, lab investigations, and environmental samples indicate that the incidents are not due to a communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin.
The investigation further revealed that PGIMER Chandigarh detected the presence of Aluminium and Cadmium. CSIR-IITR Lucknow identified Aldicarb sulfate, Acetamipride Diethyl dithiocarbamate, and Chlorpyrifos. DRDE-DRDO Gwalior found Chlorpnepyr and Abrin in samples of sattu and maize bread. NFL, FSSAI Ghaziabad detected Chlorpnepyr and Chlorpyrphos in food samples, while CFSL Chandigarh confirmed the presence of Chlorpnepyr in the viscera of all 17 deceased individuals.
The government was informed that 64 patients were admitted to GMC Rajouri, out of which 41 were discharged after treatment. Additionally, 17 patients were referred to GMC Jammu, and one was sent to PGI Chandigarh.
The house was informed that expert teams from AIIMS New Delhi and PGI Chandigarh formulated a standardized treatment and discharge protocol for Budhal patients. The SOPs recommended by these teams were followed throughout the patients’ hospital stay, during discharge, and in subsequent follow-ups.
Regarding a query on patients admitted in GMC Jammu after being referred from GMC Rajouri the reply said two patients were separately kept in isolation ward, and one patient was kept in a separate room at Sir Colonel Chopra Nursing Home after shifting from PGI Chandigarh. Besides that SOPs were adopted by SMGS Hospital Jammu.
In the Badhal village of Rajouri, 17 people, including 13 children, died due to a mysterious illness between December 7, 2024, and January 17, 2025.
