Kashmiris’ struggle renewed with commander Burhan’s killing, but at a cost

After being hit by a burst of pellets in his face, twenty-year-old Omar Altaf of Islamabad from South Kashmir is disabled forever. He has lost the vision in his left eye while his right eye has faint sight. His blaring eyes are witness to the mayhem he saw on roads when Indian forces fired pellets.

Omar was fired upon with pellets by Indian forces when he was protesting against the killing of militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani.

Kashmir witnessed mass protests after Jammu and Kashmir Police declared on July 8, evening that poster boy of “new age” militancy, Burhan Wani, was killed in an operation in South Kashmir. The police chief said that Burhan Wani along with his two local associates was killed in an “encounter” with Indian forces in Bemdoora village of Kokernag area.

Bemdoora is a forest village which lies in the high-end tourist destination Kokernag. The village is calm and on that afternoon, which coincided with third Eidul Fitr, was taken over by Indian forces. The Indian troops, which included special forces from Special Operations Group (SOG), spread a word that the chief minister was visiting the area. However, by 7:30 pm, social media was taken by surprise when images of slain Burhan made instant flash news.

It may be noted that Burhan Wani was a tech savvy militant who used social media and put forward his word among the youth. His actions were virtual mostly.

Following the killing of high-end targets, Kashmiris upped their ante and took to streets. People marched on roads towards Wani’s hometown Tral.

Omar said he was protesting peacefully as part of the march which strolled along when the forces came running towards them and fired pellets in which he lost his eyesight. He is admitted to the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital and is being attended by his brother.

The worst part is that his parents don’t know that he has lost his eyesight. The reason for that is the cell phone services have been snapped across Kashmir to “contain” the intensity of protests. However, Omar, a driver by profession, said, “I’ve no regrets.”

Kashmir valley is seething. There is bloodbath and mayhem everywhere. There seems to be no immediate end to the suppressive tactics of the Indian government to tackle mass uprising against it in the valley which has claimed over 43 lives and injured more than 2,000 in the last seven days.

According to rough estimates made by the reporters who covered the funeral of Burhan, over 300,000 people made it to garrisoned Tral and bid adieu to the slain commander.

The funeral of Burhan was history in the making as it was for the first time that such a number of people gathered and offered funeral prayers for anyone in this Himalayan region.

Despite a curfew being in place for the past seven days, people including men, women and children, have been holding protests against the Indian occupation in the region.

“I have a blurred vision in one of my eyes. It doesn’t really matter,” Omar said. At Valley’s main hospital, named after Kashmir’s last autocrat, there are over 120 people who are being treated for pellet injuries and a large number of them have lost their eyesight forever, said Dr Javaid, a surgeon, who operated upon many of the wounded.

The doctors treating the injured said that they have performed 150 eye surgeries in the past seven days and are receiving fresh cases as well. “All of these injured may lose their eyesight,” Dr Javaid said.

Among the pellet victims is five-year-old Zohra.

Zohra was hit by a dozen pellets when she along with her mother was outside her house in Srinagar’s Qamarwari area.

“Without warning they (police) fired shots from airguns at us,” said Zohra’s mother.

What followed the loud bang was a volley of small sharp-edged lead pellets and 12 of them pierced through Zohra’s body.

The Delhi-backed government has been maintaining that it is a “non-lethal weapon” that helps breaking protests without casualty, but the human rights groups reject the assertion, saying it blinds people and must be banned. In the current protests, it has already consumed two precious lives.

“I was out of my home to get medicine for my mother when a group of armed men appeared suddenly and opened fire at me. There were no protests at the time,” a student said.

At the ward number 8 of the SMHS hospital, almost two dozen young boys are wearing black eyeglasses and are writhing in pain. After the shower of pellets that they came under, many of them were shifted to hospitals by either protesters or passersby.

Many other injured boys, girls, young and old didn’t reveal their names fearing act of vengeance from intelligence agencies, but said that they joined the protests in large numbers on the day they received the news of the death of Burhan Wani.

“We protested in large numbers, but the forces fired tear gas shells and pellets which left me and many of my other friends injured,” one of them said.

In ward number 16, Umar Nazir, 12, a student of grade six, who lives in Rajpora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, is struggling to keep hands off his eyes. “It itches badly,” he said in a barely audible voice.

Despite pain, he greets every visitor, Salam Alaikum. Umar was shot in the face and abdomen when CRPF men from Hawl camp in Pulwama outskirts fired on protestors. “I was lucky to survive,” said Umar. The firing left one protestor dead.

Umar who continuously complains of pain in his abdomen was referred to SHMS hospital from Pulwama on July 9. He is battling with pain since.

Doctors attending Umar said that his right eye is completely damaged. “We are trying to save the other one now,” said the doctor. “We managed to remove 50 pellets from his abdomen. But those in his eyes and face are still there.”

As we spoke to a number of people, mostly strangers from areas in SMHS’ vicinity visited Umar. One of the strangers, who had visited Umar in the morning, was back with a pair of t-shirts and pants for him. After leaving the bag at his bedside, the stranger left without saying a word.

Like Umar, his father, a labourer, who accompanied him to the hospital on Saturday, greets everyone with a smile, and thanks them when they leave. “This is the young blood. They will react to injustice and atrocities,” said Umar’s father plainly.

Irfan Ahmad, a youth from Islamabad area, said that the forces targeted their eyes while firing the pellets.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Special Director General SN Srivastava told media persons that the pellets are non-lethal weapons.

“The lethal weapons are those which kill a person. We don’t use lethal guns on protesters and instead use non-lethal means like the tear smoke shells and the pellet guns. It is very rare that the pellets hit the face or the head,” the CRPF official said.

The government also clamped down on cable television, mobile phone networks and internet services in the Valley.

Of the 1,365 people who have been injured in clashes, 110 have been admitted with bullet injuries in the three major super specialty hospitals.

Over 390 persons are admitted in SMHS, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) and Bone and Joints Hospital in Srinagar. They have injuries caused by bullets, pellets, tear gas shells and lathi charge by Indian forces.

Questioning the use of live bullets on stone throwing protesters, a senior doctor at SMHS said that the “aim seemed to escalate rather than control”.

“How can we justify this wanton use of force? In many cases, bullets and pellets have been fired above the waist. The objective definitely seems to kill or maim the person for life,” the doctor said.

Angry crowds came out in droves attacking Indian forces across Kashmir. At some places police posts and government buildings were also set on fire. In retaliation, forces fired bullets and pellets killing at least 43 and injuring over a thousand mostly in Islamabad, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian.

Medical superintendent Dr Rashid Budoo said that 58 have been admitted since Saturday. “Of these 46 persons have fire arm injuries. All those injured by fire arms have major fractures. Three others were serious with nerve injuries,” he said.

In SMHS hospital in old city of Srinagar, as many as 320 injured persons were admitted since Saturday. Medical superintendent of SMHS Dr Nazir Chowdhary said that 50 patients have already been discharged.

Many youth admitted in SMHS were hit by bullets and pellets during stone pelting incidents. However, there have been many allegations by the injured against the police and CRPF of targeting them without any provocation.

Government spokesperson Naeem Akhtar justified the brutal use of force and said, “Protestors have been vandalising police stations and attacking the army camps.”

However, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is yet to speak publicly on the issue.

For now, there seems to be no other response to the people’s revolution from the Indian government other than force. There also seems to be lack of ideas in the resistance leadership.

With death toll crossing 43 and injuries to 2,000 people, it appears to be yet another bloody chapter in Kashmir’s recent history.