SRINAGAR Baby Hiba, the 19-month-old pellet victim was discharged from hospital after surgery on her right eye but doctors are not sure if her eyesight will be restored completely.
Doctors at the SMHS Hospital here said Hiba underwent surgery as she had suffered corneal perforation, an anomaly in the cornea resulting from damage to the corneal surface, due to the pellets.
“Like most cases, the kid will be able to see but there is no guarantee that her eyesight will be restored completely,” the doctor, who treated Hiba, told PTI.
The doctor said the treatment is a long drawn process and Hiba’s parents will have to take lot of precautions to ensure that she does not get any complications.
“She will have to be brought here for follow-up treatment regularly. Her first appointment is next week,” the ophthalmologist said.
Two human rights activists have approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take cognisance of Hiba’s injury.
In their plea before the rights body, the activists Syed Mujtaba Hussian and Mirza Jahanzeb Beg have sought Rs 10 lakh compensation to the victim.
They also sought an independent investigation into the incident and action against the personnel involved in the firing of pellets.
Also Read: 19-Month-Old Hibas Pellet-Inflicted Eye Brings Tears In All Eyes
Thousands of Kashmiris have been injured due to the use of pellet guns as a crowd control non-lethal weapon by security forces during law and order situations.
While few deaths have been reported due to use of pellets, a large number of injured persons have lost eyesight in one or both eyes, leading to demands from various quarters for discontinuing the use of this weapon during law and order problems.
How Shes Hit with Pellets: SHRC Notice To DC, SSP Shopian
State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the superintendent of police and the deputy commissioner Shopian, seeking a report from them as to how the right eye of 20-month-old Hiba Nisar was ruptured due to pellets.
SHRC chairperson, Justice (Rtd) Bilal Nazki issued a notice to the SSP and the deputy commissioner on a petition filed by the chairman International Forum for Justice and Human Rights Muhammad Ahsan Untoo. Baby Hiba suffered grave pellet injuries during forces action at Shopian when she was in her mothers lap, the petitioner said.
The image of the baby with pellet marks on the eyelid has already become a rallying point for protesters, mainly online, against the growing violence in Kashmir this year leading to 529 deaths, including 145 civilians and 241 militants.
Hiba, according to her mother Masarat Jan, was first choked by a tear-gas canister that exploded inside their house during clashes between protesters and government forces at Kapran, a village adjacent to Batgund area where six local militants were killed in the gunfight. The killing had fuelled the violent protest.
The pellets, according to the petitioner, ruptured the eye-ball of the girls right eye and she has to undergo a series of surgeries to regain her vision. Untoo said that the chance of Hiba regaining her vision in right eye seems bleak given the nature of the injury she has suffered.
Hiba has become the symbol of pellet horror after Insha-who lost eyesight in 2016 after pellets damaged both her eyes. Yes, she is obviously a symbol of pellet horror in Kashmir, the petitioner said.
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