Kashmir’s pellet woes are far from over
The partial blinding of six young men over the weekend during protests in Tral has underlined the continued use of pellet guns in Kashmir despite criticism, calls for ban and even assurances from security forces.
The six were injured on Sunday when security forces fired pellets at protesters who were allegedly trying to hamper a counter-insurgency operation in Tral in which two militants and a policeman were killed.
A senior ophthalmologist at Srinagar’s SMHS hospital, where the men are admitted, said the injuries were “bad” and the patients would have to undergo at least two rounds of surgeries before ascertaining whether vision will be restored or not.
Hospital figures show that more than 6,000 people have suffered pellet wounds, with at least 1,100 eye injuries in the unrest that began on July 8, 2016, after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
The use of the “non-lethal” weapon in Kashmir drew international condemnation by rights groups and calls for “restraint”.
As an alternative, the CRPF proposed the use of a modified version of pellet guns with a “deflector”. The new design would ensure that gunshots are directed at the lower body, saving the face and eyes of stone-pelting protesters.
Last month, the eyes of two teenaged boys were partially damaged when security forces used pellets to disperse a mob in Kulgam during an encounter. But while victims grapple with their blindness, the personnel on the ground say without pellets, it would be “very difficult to tackle the violent stone-pelting mob”. “It’s very simple. If pellets are not used, then bullets will be used which will take lives,” said a CRPF officer.
He added, “The motive of the mob here is to lynch us and snatch our weapons. To keep them at bay, you need something which causes minimum bodily harm, not fatal.”
Inspector general of CRPF, Srinagar, Ravideep Sahi says every situation on the ground has a “graduated response” and pellet guns are fired only when the situation takes a “very dangerous turn”. Asked about mitigating the effects of pellets, director general of state police, SP Vaid, outlined a four-point suggestion. “First, it should not be used as a first resort but as a last one, short of opening fire. Second, the weapon should be used only by an officer’s order,” said Vaid.
He also said the weapon should not be fired from close range and the police and CRPF should start using the modified pellet guns as soon as possible.