ENFORCED DISABILITY

 

The agony of pellet survivors of Kashmir

The excessive use of pellet shot guns by the Indian forces in the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir has left behind a harrowing legacy of blind boys and girls. Because of its devastating impact on victims, the Human rights watchdogs, civil society representatives and even members of the European Union parliament have called for a ban on the use of so-called non-lethal lethal weapon in Kashmir. Rather than paying a heed to these clarion calls India has given a fee license to its troops to use this lethal weapon against the Kashmiris. The excessive use of the weapon has led to severe injuries leaving hundreds of civilians including men, women and children visually impaired. Even the minor children aged less than three years have fallen victim of the pellets. A sizable number of the pellet victims have lost their eye sight completely while many of them are struggling hard, ready to spend every ounce of their earnings, just to come out of the pellet enforced darkness that has engulfed their lives.

Shameem is one of the fateful victims. After the pellet enforced darkness engulfed his life on September 7, 2016, Shameem passed through a living ordeal and was preparing for his eighth eye-surgery this early spring. But then came the further-crippling COVID, delaying his treatment, and thus aggravating his agony.

 

“We sold our ancestral land, and exhausted every ounce of our father’s earnings in the hope that my brother might regain his vision,” says Shaista, Shameem’s sister and his college classmate. “Right now we’re trying to arrange money for his next surgery.” An Urdu buff, Shaista had to shun her dream study for her battered brother.

Valley’s Other Shameems

More than 60% of the pellet survivors registered with the Pellet Victims Welfare Trust – Kashmir, a community trust, and prior to abrogation of Article 370 were students, says Mohammad Ashraf, head of the association. “We only register those pellet victims that have eye injuries,” Ashraf said. “Prior to August 5, 2019, we had 1,332 such victims registered with our organization.” With thousands of young Kashmiris being shot with pellets, a large number of them have been forcibly blinded after being hit in the eyes, mostly youth, leaving them partially or completely blind, and shattering their hopes and aspirations at a very young age. On the other hand inadequate healthcare facilities, apathy and criminal negligence on the part of Indian authorities have taken a huge mental toll on pellet disabled of Kashmir. According to a 2019 study, at least 85% of the pellet victims have developed psychiatric disorders, and that the psychological disorders in pellet victims are directly associated with the severity of the injuries.

The devastating impacts of pellet shotguns on victims speak volumes about the lethality of the pellet guns. Calling the pellet gun non-lethal is a dangerous fallacy. Even after the surgeries, doctors are unable to remove all the pellets from the bodies of victims. According to health experts they are like ticking time bombs inside a person.