The poor teenager from Lolab’s remote village aged 17 can’t forgot the day when he according to him was on his way to tuition class for mathematics subject and caught in the clashes going on against the killing of popular scholar turned militant commander Dr.Manan wani in tekipora village of Northern kashmir’s Kupwara district, a volley of lethal pellets hitting 10th class student in his skull,face and eyes.The pellets penetrated deep into his eyes and he suddenly lost his right eyesight.
On 9th of this month i travelled to Diver village of lolab in northern kashmir’s kupwara district,where from actually poor pellet hit victims belongs,he and his family narrated their story.Ab Rashid Mouchi (17) a class 10th standard is belonging from a poor family,his father is the only breadearner for them who is working as cobbler in kupwara town on the roadside,House with rooftop of hay in this 21th centuary Ab Rashid mouchi was sitting silently in a corner of the room of his house,when i asked him what is thinking sitting alone in his room,he after remaining silent for sometime replied “about my shattered dreams” with tears rolling down from his eyes.
Rashid lost vision of his right eye in october this month when he recieved grievious injuries after hitted with pellets indiscriminately by security forces.”I was comming back from tuition class,as i reached to near my native village clashes were going on between security forces and Protestors and i caught suddently in clashes,the men in uniform shooted pellets directly on my face, i fell down and i don’t know what happened to me after that everything went dark”Rashid Said.
Pointing towards his son,Wali Mohammad Mouchi Father of victim who is working as cobbler to earn the money for his poor family said “it was as if earthquack had struck me when i saw my son saying, “ Are you Papa speaking to me….?” as his both eyes were closed in Sub district hospital sogam lolab.
Poor Father of victim Wali Mohammad is in deep shock since his line son lost vision of his right eye.”Doctors in SDH sogam reffered him to Shri Maharaja Hari singh (SMHS) Hospital for treatment ,i was having only five hundread rupees in my pocked,i shouted for help but no one helped me” said wali Mohd.eyes with full of tears.
The poor parents of teenager student did him two surgeries so far but he did not gained eyesight,now doctors in SMHS seinagar has consulted them to take him outside state for better treatment in order to gain the vision of the eye.”Doctors consulted us to reffer our son to chandigarh hospital as our son not gained vision after doing two surgeries” said victims father.
Poor family has left their lone son in their muded house because they have no money for his treatment and are shouting for help from Government and general public. “ i was earning only three thousand in month by doing work of sewing and polishing shoes,but from past four months i am busy with the treatment of my son and i have no money for treatment now,doctors said that you should have minimum of eight lakh rupees with us to treat the beloved son outside the state” said father of victim adding that it is huge amount and he can’t bear it. “I left my son in my home untreated because of no money” said Wali Mohd.with tears rolling down from his eyes.
“I belong to a poor family,i have with me my sister who is going to marry in few months we have no money even for her marriage,eight lakh rupees are hige amount my poor parents can’t bear alm the expenses required for my treatment outside the state” Said Victim Ab.Rashid. Parents of the pellet victim said that as we are poor and left our beloved son untreated there may be hundreads of like them who may have left their beloved’s untreated,”we appeal central government to ban the lethal pellet gun completely,due to which hundreads died and thousands were blinded” they said
Pertinently in 2013,an RTI filed by advocate Abdul Manan Bukhari revealed that 100 people with pellet injuries were admitted in SKIMS alone from 2010-2011,and in 2013 eighteen people were admitted in this tertiary care hospital for the treatment of their pellet injuries. The RTI reveals that the total number of patients admitted in SMHS hospital with gun injuries from March 2010 to october 2013 was 91. The total number of patients with pellet injuries admitted in the departmwnt of opthalmology,SMHS,from march 2010 to Oct 2013 was 36 (18 in 2010,5 in 2011,6 in 2012 and 7 in 2014). The RTI further reveals that 14 pellet injured people had no chance of regaining their eyesight.
However,Bukhari says the data issued by the SMHS is not up to the mark as most of the pellet victims prefer to stay away from the hospital.”Many pellet bullet victims don’t turn up to SMHS ward because there is an apprehension that they might be arrested and booked by the police who are always on the prowl for such victims,”says Bukhari,adding that many such victims were arrested straight from the hospital by the police,”So now most of these victims prefer being treated outside the state,in delhi or elsewhere.” Earlier a medical study brought out in 2010 by Shair-e-kashmir institute of medical sciences (SKIMS),which was based on 198 patients who suffered from pellet gun injuries,The study observed patients should be evaluated and managed in the same way as those sustained bullet injuries,” Bukhari informs that as per section 129 of the code of criminal procedure (CrPc) of the indian constitution,you have to disperse the mob with maximum restraint.”So it’s a clear violation of the CrPc,”he says.
The pattern of firing by the forces does not meet the United Nations standards on the use of fire-arms. India is signatory to basic principal on the use of force and firearms,which early disallow the use of force in dispersing non-violent,unlawful assemblies,there is a well defined procedure for crowed contro.Firearms must be used as last resort when tear smoke and lathi charge fail to disperse the crowd But unfortunately here in kashmir valley it’s used arbitrarily by the trigger happy indian forces here. Poor Parents of the teenager Ab Rashid said that no one helped them financially except the locals of the area,they said that they had already spend one lakh rupees for their son’s two surgeries. “Government is not helping needed poor family in the tough times,neither any politician nor any government organisation helped us” they said
I my self left with deep shock after hearing the sadness words from the victim’s poor family that no one helped them financially despite being fully aware about the poorness of the family,irony is that they hail from the native village of Ex-law minister Ab.Haq Khan,and khan had helped them financially so far.
Amenesty International and other human rights organisations are demanding complete and immediate ban on pellet shoutguns,but centre has not taken any strong note on it so far,i have a firm request to Government of india please save we kashmiri’s or poision us all at one time so that no one of us will see our brothers dying or going blinded by this dirty war.We are fed up with the “Drama Bazi” of state and central government and with pugnacious behaviour of Security Forces,our eyes are parched and there are no tears anymore.
Ban pellet guns completely and save more innocent and poor youngstars like Rashid Mouchi because the rooftop of his house with hay which i saw is ample to describe the tale of this poor family’s tale.
Author is journalist working with many local dailies and can be reached at lolabazadhussain2015@gmail.com
