Rajouri deaths: Leaves of doctors, paramedics cancelled to deal with mysterious deaths in J&K
Rajouri/Jammu (PTI): 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 deceased, 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 deceased, 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.
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Waqf Bill will be in dustbin if RJD wins Bihar: Tejashwi Yadav
Patna, Apr 5 (PTI): RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday asserted that the Waqf Bill, passed earlier this week by Parliament, "will be consigned to the dust bin" in Bihar if his party came to power in the state.
Addressing a press conference here, the leader of the opposition also disclosed that his party has moved the Supreme Court, joining the litigants who have challenged the Bill.
Yadav, who is a former deputy chief minister, also took a swipe at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), claiming: "They are trying hard, but without success, to prove that the Bill will benefit Muslims".
"Just look at how the JD(U) has forced its Muslim leaders to address a press conference, which was quite a fiasco," alleged the RJD leader.
The JD(U) press conference, which concluded minutes before Yadav began his briefing, was attended by national general secretary Afaque Ahmed Khan, MLCs Khalid Anwar and Ghulam Ghaus, and former Rajya Sabha MPs Ashfaq Karim and Kehkashan Parveen, among others.
None of the senior leaders spoke after minority cell chairman Afzal Ansari and party spokesperson Anjum Ara read out a written statement highlighting the chief minister's efforts for the welfare of Muslims, in contrast with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who was accused of paying lip service to the community.
The press conference ended with all the leaders leaving quickly, dodging the volley of questions from journalists.
Yadav, whose party office is just across the street from the premises where the JD(U)'s event took place, remarked sarcastically: "It appears that photographs of Nitish Kumar at their office will soon be replaced with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even a child knows the fate that awaits the chief minister after elections are over."
The RJD leader said the Waqf Bill was opposed by the party MPs in both Houses of Parliament as it violates Article 26 of the Constitution which deals with freedom to manage religious affairs.
"The Bill has been brought with the intention of diverting public attention away from pressing problems like unemployment and helping the BJP in its politics of polarisation. But we will not allow implementation of this Bill in Bihar. If we form the next government in the state, the Bill will be consigned to the dustbin," claimed the young leader, who is expected to lead the Mahagathbandhan in the assembly polls.
He said, "We have also moved the Supreme Court against the Waqf Bill. We believe that today Muslims are being targeted and tomorrow it may be the turn of Sikhs and Christians."
The BJP and the RSS have been always against religious minorities and Mandal Hindus - tribals, Dalits and Other Backward Classes, Yadav alleged.
"While we were in power, the quotas for deprived castes were raised to 65 per cent. These social groups may have a sizeable population, but their condition can be gauged from their negligible presence in medical and engineering services. But the hike in quotas got quashed by Patna High Court, on petitions filed by supporters of the BJP," he said.
Since Kumar does not seem capable of defending the depressed classes, the RJD has become a party before the Supreme Court in challenging the high court order, added Yadav.
Meanwhile, Union minister Chirag Paswan, who heads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), accused the opposition of trying to create a "fake narrative" around the Waqf Bill "just to maintain a grip over what they see as their vote bank".
"They did the same when CAA was brought, when Article 370 was abrogated and when Ram temple was built at Ayodhya. None of these moves affected our Muslim brethren adversely," Paswan said.
The Waqf Bill draft makes clear that amendments will not have retrospective effect and, no existing Waqf property can be touched, he said.
The amendments will come to the rescue of Muslim citizens who may be locked in disputes with the Waqf Boards concerned.
"But the opposition is busy with its own agenda," alleged the Hajipur MP, when he was approached with questions by journalists.
