In the Jammu and Kashmir region, which is under the control of India, investigations are being conducted into a mysterious poisoning that claimed the lives of 17 people, local media reported on Saturday. The fatalities occurred among residents of the village of Padhahal in the remote Rajouri district of Jammu starting in early December. According to the Press Trust of India agency, about 230 people were isolated in the village earlier this week.
Amardjit Singh Batthia, dean of the medical college in Rajouri, reported on the damage to the brains and nervous systems of all the deceased. Batthia stated that "winter vacations were canceled to address this medical emergency." The deceased were members of three families connected by kinship ties.
The federal government has begun investigating the health minister Jaiinder Singh after preliminary investigations revealed that the deaths were not caused by "infection, virus, or bacteria, but toxic substances." Singh stated that "an analysis of a large amount of toxins is underway" and that possible malicious harm is being investigated.
Apart from this medical case, a minimum of 73 cases of rare neurological poisoning were recorded in the western district of Bhaderwah. Among the poisoned, 26 women were among those with "Guillain-Barré syndrome," 14 of whom were placed on artificial ventilators.
"Guillain-Barré syndrome" is an autoimmune neuropathy that occurs when the immune system attacks peripheral nerves. This syndrome affects the nerves that control muscle movement, leading to muscle weakness and loss of sensation in the limbs, and can also cause difficulties with swallowing and breathing.