Srinagar, Aug 27: Since the introduction of pump action guns or pellet guns- billed as “non-lethal weapons”- last week, around 100 persons have been injured, most of them critically, across the Valley by the pellets fired from these weapons.
The weapons were introduced after mounting fatalities in the police and paramilitary CRPF firing on protesters during the past more than two months.
Doctors at SK Institute of Medical Sciences and SMHS hospital said they have received many injured persons in the past one week with most of them having pellet injuries.
On August 19, paramilitary CRPF fired pellets in Sopur on protesters in which four persons were injured. One of the injured, 19-year old Mudasir Nazir Hajam, died of his injuries next day at SKIMS, where doctors said he had scores of perforations on body and his intestines were extensively damaged.
Another injured, Danish Ahmad Shiekh of Tarzoo Sopur, lost his eyesight after he received a pellet in the eye.
 On August 22, police and CRPF used pump action shots on protesters at Chattabal here injuring at least a dozen of them.
 The forces also fired the pellet gun shots at protesters in Bemina, Rainawari, Soura and several other localities during the past week injuring at least two dozen persons.
 In the evening of August 24, seven persons were injured at Soura, again sustaining pellet injuries.
 On Thursday, three persons with pellet injuries were admitted to SMHS while doctors at SKIMS said that 40 persons reported to them during the day with 38 having pellet injuries.
 A number of protesters from Islamabad and Varmul were also injured during the police action using pellet guns.
 The pellet guns, experts say, are specially made for anti-rioting. The bullets fired from the weapon disintegrate into small pellets which hit large number of protesters—thus escalating the number of injuries.
 “The wounds inflicted by pellet guns may not be as grave or fatal as live or rubber bullets. But the pellets cause multiple perforations on multiple organs of the body,” said a doctor. “At present the number of protesters injured in pellet firing is more as compared to teargas shells or rubber bullets,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST