HC seeks govt response to petition seeking relief for pallet victims
Srinagar, May 09: The J&K High Court on Wednesday asked the government to file its response with regard to relief sought by lawyers for victims of the pellets used by government forces on protestors in Kashmir.
Acting Chief Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar and Justice Sanjeev Kumar sought the response with supported material by the end of this month on the petition seeking relief for the victims of the pellets.
The Supreme Court has already observed that other prayers except ban on the use of pellets in Kashmir may be taken up with State High Court.
Bar Association Kashmir had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court in 2016 seeking ban on the use of pellets guns by police and paramilitary forces on protesters besides compensation, treatment of, and rehabilitation of the victims.
According to the SMHS Hospital, one of the largest public hospitals here, , 1209 persons, mostly youth, had suffered pellet injuries in one or both eyes and were treated in the hospital since July 2016 to September 2017.
Of them, 77 had both the eyes severely damaged while as 21 lost sight in one eye.
An Amnesty International (AI) report titled “Losing Sight in Kashmir”, claimed that “the weapon has been kept reserved for use against Kashmir”.
It demanded “prompt, independent and impartial civilian-criminal investigation” into all the incidents where pellet-firing led to deaths or “blinding massacres” by the government forces.
Fed with non-action by the government, the lawyer’s association at one point of time had even threatened to withdraw the petition saying people had lost faith in the courts as well, because they were doing nothing to stop the civilian killings and indiscriminate use of the pellets.
The pellet guns were first introduced in Kashmir as a “non-lethal” weapon during the 2010 summer uprising in which nearly 120 civilians were killed at the hands of government forces during protests and stone throwing incidents.
“Over the years, however, the injuries and the deaths caused by this fatal weapon bears testimony to how dangerous, inaccurate and indiscriminate it is,” said a statement by the international human rights body.
It also said there was no proper way to use the pellet gun and it is “irresponsible of the authorities” to continue its use despite being aware of the damage they do.
Rashid Paul is Associate Editor at Kashmir Images.
He can be reached at [email protected]
