Rajouri/Jammu:

Authorities have cancelled all leaves of doctors and paramedics in the wake of a medical alert following the deaths of 17 people from Badhaal village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district due to a mysterious illness. The number of people sent to quarantine has risen to 230.

Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh said the initial investigation conducted by the toxicology laboratory in Lucknow concluded that the cause was not any infection, virus or bacteria but a toxin.

Principal of Rajouri Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital, Dr Amarjeet Singh Bhatia, on Friday addressed a press conference in Rajouri and announced that all leaves of doctors and paramedic staff have been cancelled. “The winter vacations have also been cancelled to deal with the medical alert situation after 17 people from three families died under mysterious conditions in the last one-and-a-half months,” he said.

He further said the Jammu and Kashmir government has deputed 10 additional medical students to GMC Rajouri to aid the medical setup amid the ongoing health situation.

The health condition of three persons undergoing treatment at GMC Hospital in Jammu and PGI Chandigarh is being monitored, officials said.

Four people, including three sisters, were shifted to hospitals, with three airlifted to a hospital in Jammu on Wednesday.

More persons, including relatives who had come in contact with the victim families, were sent on Friday to quarantine as a precautionary measure. As a precaution, more individuals, including close relatives of the victims, have been relocated to the Nursing College quarantine centre in Rajouri, increasing the number to 230, the officials said.

Strict security has been put in place at the Nursing College quarantine centre in Rajouri, which has been heavily secured and fenced, they added.

Several people who came into contact with the affected families, from taking children to the hospital to burying them, have also been identified, they said.

The Union minister said a thorough investigation is underway. “The initial investigation conducted by our toxicology laboratory in Lucknow concluded that it was not due to any infection, virus or bacteria but rather a toxin,” he said.

He added that the investigation into the nature of the toxin is going on. “There is a long series of toxins being tested. I believe a solution will be found soon. Additionally, if there was any mischief or malicious activity, that is also being investigated,” he said.

The remote Badhaal village was declared a containment zone on Wednesday, with prohibitory orders imposed on all public and private gatherings in the wake of the deaths, the officials said.

Seventeen people, including 13 children, from the families of Mohammad Fazal, Mohammad Aslam and Mohammad Rafiq in Badhaal village died due to a mysterious illness over the past one-and-a-half months.

Both the central team and police are continuing their separate probes into the deaths, they said.

A central team continued its investigation on Friday into the cause of the deaths which occurred in three families.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was set up by the police after certain neurotoxins were found in the samples of the victims, continued its probe into the criminal angle. They have questioned over 50 people in this case, the officials said.

Dr Bhatia revealed that the common factor among all 17 deaths is the involvement of the brain and damage to the nervous system. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jammu:

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday launched searches at multiple places in Rajouri and Reasi districts as part of its investigation into the deadly terror attack in June on a bus carrying pilgrims who were returning from Shiv Khori temple, officials said.

Nine persons, including seven pilgrims from outside Jammu and Kashmir, were killed and 41 injured when terrorists opened fire at the bus on June 9. The bus, on its way from the Shiv Khori temple to Katra, veered off the road following a barrage of gunfire and fell into a deep gorge near Teryath village of Pouni area in Reasi.

On June 17, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) handed over the terror attack case to the NIA.

One person, Hakam Khan of Rajouri, who allegedly provided food, shelter and logistics to the terrorists besides helping them recce the area before the attack, has been arrested in connection with the case so far.

Officials said multiple NIA teams are carrying out searches in Rajouri and Reasi districts in connection with the Shiv Khori terror attack case since this morning.

The searches are underway and further details are awaited, they said.

NIA had also conducted searches at five locations linked to hybrid terrorists and their overground workers in Rajouri on June 30. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rajouri/Jammu:

The Indian Army repulsed a major attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district this morning. A soldier was injured in the predawn attack at an army camp, suggest initial reports. The security forces launched a massive search operation to flush out terrorists after the attack, said a defense spokesman.

This comes amid a spate of terror attacks in the Jammu region, raising major security concerns.

The attack was reported less than 24 hours after Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi visited Jammu and discussed measures to deal with the dramatic spurt in major terrorist attacks on the army in the region that was free from terrorism till few year ago.

Source say a heavily armed group of terrorists attacked an army camp at Gunda village. Firing started at around 4 am and continued for more than one hour.

While a heavily retaliation by the army has forced attackers to flee, this is another audacious attack on the army in region.

On Friday, a temporary army camp set up in a school was attacked with heavy gun fire and grenades in Doda district. In the same area four soldiers including a captain were killed last week days after five soldiers were killed in an ambush in Kathua.

Army has already deployed more troops including special forces commandos in Jammu region to fight highly trained terrorists who have infested the region and carry out attack after attack on the Army.

In last 32 months, 48 army soldiers have been killed in terrorist attacks in Jammu. After almost every attack, terrorists manage to escape without suffering a casualty of their own.

Last week Prime Minister chaired meeting of cabinet committee on security on the rise in terrorist attacks in Jammu. Earlier Prime Minister had asked army to deploy full spectrum of its anti-terrorist capabilities to eliminate terrorist from Jammu region.

The attacks are taking place despite a massive cordon and search operations by security forces in different areas of Jammu.

Rajouri:

Two terrorists were shot dead by security forces during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district. An army personnel was also killed and three others were injured in the encounter that has been going on since Tuesday evening.

A six-year-old female Labrador name Kent of the Army’s dog unit also died during the gunfight.

Additional Director General of Police (Jammu Zone) Mukesh Singh said that a gunfight broke out between terrorists and soldiers during the search operation in Narla village.

“A terrorist and an Army soldier were killed while three security personnel – two Army jawans and one special police officer – were injured in the gunfight,” he said.

According to the army, a joint operation to monitor and track the movement of two terrorists was launched by the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police on 7 September, 2023.

The army cordoned the terrorists and heavy firefight ensued on 12 September 2023, wherein one terrorist was killed on the same night. Despite bad weather and hostile terrain, the second terrorist was pursued and neutralized on the morning of 13 September after heavy firing throughout the night, army said in a statement.

Rajouri and Poonch were considered free from militancy few years ago but have been high on terrorist radar in the last few months.

On September 4, a terrorist was killed and two security personnel were injured in nearby Gali Sohab village in the Chassana area of Reasi district.

The border districts of Rajouri and Poonch have witnessed several encounters this year, resulting in the deaths of about 26 terrorists and 10 security personnel.

Most of the terrorists were killed while attempting to sneak into this side from across the border, the officials said.