Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday turned emotional when he met three families who lost 17 members to a mysterious illness in Badhal village of the Rajouri district. The CM visited the graveyard and offered prayers for the deceased.

Omar visited Badhal village to assess the situation arising due to mysterious deaths and also met the affected families, including Mohammad Aslam, who lost all six of his children.

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While meeting the devastated families in the border village, Omar said, “I never imagined that I would find myself in Pir-Panjal, facing such a tragic situation. The pain and sorrow of the grieving families is truly unimaginable”.

Alongside his colleagues, Omar offered ‘Fatiha’ for the deceased. It was truly heart-wrenching to witness the devastation and loss of so many precious lives, he said.

The Chief Minister said, “I visited Badhal village in Rajouri district to show my support for the grieving families who lost 17 members, including 13 children, under mysterious circumstances in the past month and a half.”

“Upon arriving at the mountainous village, located approximately 55 km from Rajouri district headquarters, I paid my respects at the graveyards and offered Fatiha for the deceased. Accompanying me on this visit were my cabinet colleague Javed Ahmed Rana and MLA Javaid Iqbal Choudhary,” he said.

Interacting with the affected families, Omar said, “I want to assure the victim families that they have the full support of the government during this difficult time. We will provide all necessary assistance and take all requisite steps to address the situation. They are not alone in their grief… We stand with them during this challenging period.”

Omar said, “This is devastating. I hope the investigation provides answers soon and justice is served. Our priority is to stop the cycle of deaths. Since the first incident, the health department has been in constant contact with other departments, including local organisations, to understand the reasons behind this unfortunate situation,” Omar told reporters.

He said tests were conducted, and it was concluded that no bacteria or viruses caused these deaths. Later, it was found that all the deaths happened in three families. However, the reason behind the 17 deaths is yet to be ascertained. Since it’s not a disease, police are also involved and have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter. An inter-ministerial expert team from the central government has also arrived, and we will investigate the incidents together to determine the cause of these deaths.

He assured the public that the government is focused on understanding and stopping the cycle of deaths.

Omar said that a majority of the deceased belong to three families, who are related to each other. “We are committed to finding answers through the combined efforts of the civil administration, the police SIT, and the Government of India team,” he assured.

The spate of unexplained deaths has caused widespread fear and uncertainty within the community, with locals demanding transparency and clarity about the situation.