Srinagar, Aug 20: After teargas shells and bullets, forces are now resorting to pellet firing on protesters causing multiple injuries to the victims, which doctors say is more dangerous than bullet injuries.
The paramilitary CRPF on Thursday fired cluster of pellets in Sopur and Soura on protesters in which 18-year old Muddasir Nazir of Sopur died and three others received multiple injuries.
Doctors termed the use of pellets on protesters outrageous. “Bullet injured persons are easy to treat than pellet injured. A pellet is as bad as a bullet. And they (forces) are firing cluster of pellets on youth for which we have to do multiple minor surgeries,” said a senior doctor in SKIMS, who was aghast over the use of new weapon.
“We have never seen such condition of patients here. They have got injuries in multiple organs, which can cause instant death,” he said.
Due to pellet firing almost whole small intestine of Muddasir was perforated with massive gangrene. He had also received multiple injuries in abdomen, chest and thighs. Muddasir succumbed to injuries last night in SKIMS.
“We made every effort to save him but the pellets had damage his whole gut,” he said. If a person is shot at by a bullet, the doctors have to concentrate on very small portion of the body during operation. However, when a cluster of pellets is fired, they have to open his whole body and chances of survival are very bleak. “We face lot of problems while operating upon a patient fired with cluster of pellets,” he said.
Another victim of pellet firing, 15-year old Danish Ahmad Shiekh of Tarzoo Sopur received multiple pellet injuries on head, scapular region, back and one pellet in orbit. He was referred from SKIMS to Ophthalmology department of SMHS hospital as he had received grave injury in his left eye.
Two others- Muhammad Umar War and Nisar Ahmad Malla of Anchar Soura- were also shot by pellets. They also received multiple injuries in head, chest, legs and arms.
A CRPF spokesman was quoted by a New Delhi based television network as saying that Assistant Commandant SK Das of the 177 battalion fired two rounds from a pellet gun in self defence and Muddassir was hit in the abdomen.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST