Five-yr-old’s pictures become a rallying point against forces

SRINAGAR: The pictures of a five-year-old boy, who was allegedly assaulted by CRPF men on Thursday, have become a rallying point against the reported excessive force used by government forces to counter protests in the turmoil-hit Kashmir.

Nasir Ahmad Khan allegedly received pellet injuries when he and his family were caught in the middle of a clash between protesters and CRPF in Ananatnag.

“When we found him, he was lying on the road and writhing in pain. He told us that he has been hit in the eye by something needle-like,” said his father Mohammad Altaf. “I didn’t see him getting assaulted but the CRPF men were standing nearby. I was so angry that I picked up a stone and threw it towards them,” he said.

Nasir’s pictures, with a bandage on his left eye, have been making the rounds on social media and have also been splashed on the front pages of all major newspapers of the Valley. The images have elicited outrage from the public, many of whom have held government forces accountable for wanton use of force even against children.

“A five-year-old boy is a baby, India, a baby. Can’t bear to look at photos of Nasir,” journalist and author Mirza Waheed said on social media.

Nasir’s widely-circulated images event prompted a division bench of the state high court to react sharply against the use of pellet guns by forces.

While hearing a petition against the use of pellets, chief justice NN Paul Vasanthakumar and justice Muzaffar Hussain alluded to Khan’s pictures and said to the government lawyer: “See this five-year-old with pellet injury. No sensitive soul can bear this sight. Pictures don’t lie. You cannot accuse a five-year -old of throwing a stone at you”.

At least 47 people have died and over 1,900 injured in the unrest that continues to plague the Valley after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. Children have also been a victim of the turmoil with many of them receiving serious injuries. Insha Malik, a student of Class 9 and a resident of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, was blinded by pellets fired by security forces on July 12. The 14-year-old was hit by nearly 100 pellets when she, according to her family, was inside the house.