Jammu, February 16, (Scoop News)-To express their anger over unabated using of pellet and pepper guns on innocent people of Kashmir, members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today protested the Shopian incident resulting in injuries to youth there, in the Legislative Assembly and later staged a walkout. PDP members were demanding complete ban on the use of such atrocious and inhuman weapons and shifting of injured youth outside the State for advanced treatment.
As the House assembled this morning, members of PDP were on their feet. They drew attention of the government towards condition of those youth who received severe injuries in brutal use of pellet guns in Shopian area. Raising the issue, PDP Legislature Party leader Mehbooba Mufti said that state government was using pellet guns and pepper guns against civilian protestors as a policy which had cost many youth their vision and rendered many more disabled in other ways. Mehbooba said the use of these weapons at protests had caused loss and impairment of vision to scores of in the Kashmir Valley and people had to pay heavily for medical treatment. “These poor families have to take their children, who have become victims of pellet guns and pepper guns used by the security forces, to Amritsar and other places outside the state for treatment” she said. These children belong to poor families who cannot afford costly treatment. She demanded an immediate stop to the use of such weapons against civilian protestors. She also demanded financial assistance from the state government to the victims. PDP members were demanding answer from government but to no avail. To express their anger over callous and insensitive approach being adopted by the government against in this inhuman act, PDP members staged a walkout.
Later speaking to media party president Mehbooba Mufti said use of pellet guns was inhuman and cruel, and it’s use should be banned immediately. She said that while Tariq and Ghulam Mohiuddin have their eyesight seriously affected Mohammad Ashraf, Umer Nabi too have suffered grievous injuries. According to their families, Mehbooba said, the doctors had told them that their treat mention was not possible in the state and the nearest centre for such medical facility was Amritsar. ” It is the moral responsibility of the government to foot their medical bill and provide them the best treatment wherever it was available” she said. She said that hundreds of youth have been injured by the use of this weapons which have been projected as non lethal. She said that score of youth have lost their sights but they are cannot approach hospitals due to the fear of arrest and registration of cases against them. That she said is a sad commentary on the relationship this government has established with the youth.
The party president said Coalition government has turned the state into a testing field for new instruments of repression and pellet gun is the worst of them. It has rendered scores permanently disabled and dozens have lost their vision. She said the government is engaging youth only through brute force and has never tried to reach out to them to understand their frustration with the system. “It is a cruel irony that this government is projecting introduction of pellet guns and chilli grenades as some kind of a mercy by sparing their life and taking away their vision”.
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