Asia Sentinel
Covid pandemic, frequent lockdowns worsen the plight of pellet victims
12 hr ago
By: Majid Maqbool
Mohammad Ashraf Wani, from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, was 25 when he was hit in the face by pellets fired by government forces outside his home during a protest following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in 2016.
Having undergone multiple corrective surgeries over the years, Ashraf, who is now 31 can see just a little but only from his left eye. Every time he looks in the mirror, he says he cannot recognize himself.
Ashraf is one of the thousands of Kashmiris who have been injured by Indian security forces who typically use 12-page pump-action shotguns to fire cartridges filled with dozens or hundreds of the small metal pellets, sometimes called birdshot or dove shot. Initially concentrated in tight patterns when fired, they disperse to reach a wide radius, causing indiscriminate injuries, often to bystanders.