In the summer of 2025, Karnataka's Hassan district was caught in collective fear. Reports of sudden deaths due to 'heart attacks' flooded the news, and no one knew what was causing them. Even as bereaved families struggled to come to terms with their loss, panicked residents inundated hospitals, demanding their cardiac health be tested. A government-appointed task force found that there was no increase in the number of deaths as compared to previous months. But without sufficient post-mortem records and clinical data, the experts too were unable to give a clear explanation.
Watch The News Minute's Editor-in-Chief Dhanya Rajendran in conversation with Nandini Chandrasekhar, who travelled to Hassan, met families of the deceased, medical experts, and regional journalists to piece together the story of Hassan's heart troubles.