
Rajouri, January 23: In the wake of the mysterious deaths of 17 people in Rajouri’s Badhal village, troubling questions have emerged about the inadequacy of local healthcare facilities. Despite the availability of premier institutions like AIIMS Jammu and SKIMS Srinagar, patients from the affected village are being referred to GMC,Jammu and PGIMER Chandigarh for advanced treatment and diagnostics. This raises concerns about the preparedness of Jammu and Kashmir’s healthcare system to handle such crises.
The deaths, which occurred between December 7, 2024, and January 19, 2025, include 13 children among the 17 victims. They all displayed similar symptoms of fever, nausea, pain, and eventual loss of consciousness. The community has been left in shock as three interconnected families bore the brunt of this tragedy, with their homes now sealed off.
Authorities acted swiftly to declare Badhal a containment zone on January 22, enforcing strict restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Public and private gatherings have been banned, and the area has been divided into three zones to manage the crisis.
While local institutions like GMC Rajouri, GMC Jammu, SKIMS Srinagar, and the newly established AIIMS Jammu are equipped with modern facilities, the reliance on PGIMER Chandigarh has raised red flags. Critics argue that Jammu and Kashmir’s healthcare system has repeatedly shown cracks, particularly in remote and tribal areas like Badhal, where access to advanced medical services is already limited.
The question lingers: why are patients bypassing state-of-the-art facilities in J&K to seek care outside the region? This has ignited discussions about whether these institutions are truly equipped to handle complex medical cases or if systemic issues are to blame.
The deaths have been attributed to neurotoxins after extensive testing by national institutions like the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The testing ruled out bacterial or viral infections and confirmed that the condition is non-communicable.
Neurotoxins, substances that disrupt the normal functioning of the nervous system, are suspected to have originated from contaminated water. Samples from a local spring in Badhal tested positive for pesticides and insecticides, prompting officials to seal the water source. However, Mohammad Aslam, who tragically lost six children, stated that his family never consumed water from the spring, adding another layer of mystery to the case.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kotranka has directed local officials to ensure no one uses the spring water. Security personnel have been deployed at the site to prevent its use. Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the incident has questioned nearly 100 people, and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted an 11-member inter-ministerial team to identify the source of contamination and the neurotoxin.
Despite these measures, more people from the village have been hospitalized in critical condition, increasing the urgency to identify the source of exposure.
The deaths have spotlighted the inadequate healthcare infrastructure in rural and tribal areas of J&K. Although institutions like AIIMS Jammu and SKIMS Srinagar have been established to provide cutting-edge healthcare, their inability to manage these cases raises concerns about their functionality, staffing, and preparedness.
This failure has placed additional burdens on families already reeling from the loss of loved ones, forcing them to travel long distances to Chandigarh for treatment. For Mohammad Aslam and others in Badhal, the tragedy is compounded by the sense of being abandoned by the very system meant to protect them.
The affected families in Badhal are mourning their losses while demanding accountability from authorities. Locals have questioned why contaminated water from the spring was not tested earlier and why healthcare facilities closer to home were unable to manage the situation.
Experts are calling for a review of the region’s healthcare infrastructure and emergency preparedness. In addition to identifying the source of the neurotoxins, authorities must address systemic failures to prevent such tragedies in the future.
As the investigation continues, the focus remains on identifying the source of the neurotoxins and addressing the healthcare gaps in the region. The deaths in Rajouri’s Badhal village serve as a grim reminder of the challenges faced by remote communities in accessing quality healthcare. Until these issues are resolved, the question of why premier institutions like AIIMS Jammu and SKIMS Srinagar were bypassed will remain a blot on J&K’s healthcare system.