In Rajouri’s Badhal village, four more people contract illness; government seals containment zones and houses

• Four more people have fallen ill in Badhal village in the past 24 hours, prompting authorities to declare “containment zones” and seal affected families’ homes.

• Seventeen people have died and at least 31 have been affected by an inexplicable illness over the past 50 days.

• Aijaz Ahmad, a resident of Badhal, was transferred to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh after his symptoms deteriorated.

• Three additional local persons reported sick were taken to a hospital in Jammu city.

• The village has experienced multiple waves of deaths since December 7, resulting in 17 fatalities, including 13 children and a pregnant woman.

• A police-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) and a multi-disciplinary team from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) are investigating the deaths.

• The District Magistrate of Rajouri imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to establish containment strategies and surveillance measures.