SrinagarA whopping 1726 persons including children have been victims of pellet firing by government forces, as per the official details revealed before the State Human Right Commission on Friday.
While going through the reports received from all the districts, it has been observed that the total number of (pellet victims) is 1726. It has also been reported that some victims while they were undergoing treatment, they did not mention their original names because they apprehended arrest, said Justice (retd) Bilal Nazki while hearing a suo-moto plea with regard to various incidents in which people suffered pellet injuries in the recent past.
The commission also directed senior superintendents of police and SP to direct the victims belonging to their district to appear individually before the commission on December 28. The commission also requested Human rights lawyer, P Imroz to assist it in the case on next date of hearing.
Last monthAmnesty International India called for an immediate ban on use of pellets and asked the state government to initiate prompt, independent and impartial civilian investigations into all incidents where the use of munitions led to deaths or injuries to establish whether arbitrary or excessive force was used in the Valley.
The Amnesty International said pellet-firing shotguns have been responsible for blinding, killing and traumatizing hundreds of people in Kashmir and it must be immediately banned.
Authorities claim the pellet shotgun is not lethal, but the injuries and deaths caused by this cruel weapon bear testimony to how dangerous, inaccurate and indiscriminate it is. There is no proper way to use pellet-firing shotguns. It is irresponsible of authorities to continue the use of these shotguns despite being aware of the damage they do.
Pellet shotguns and the manner in which they have been used in Kashmir violate international standards on the use of force, which state that law enforcement officials may use force only when strictly necessary and to the extent required for the performance of their duty. The UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms states that force should only be used when unavoidable, and law enforcement officials should exercise restraint in using force and minimize damage and injury.
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