Daily Times

SRINAGAR: Despite hue and cry over use of pellet guns in the Valley, the police and CRPF men rained pellets and teargas shells during clashes in downtown causing injuries to at least 10 youth, the Rising Kashmir reported on Wednesday.

One of the injured, a handicapped was hit by pellets all over body while a youth received 20 stitches in head after being hit by a tear gas shell. After remaining comparatively peaceful, the downtown Srinagar witnessed massive clashes between angry youth and police and CRPF men today. The cops fired pellets and tear gas shells.

34-year-old, Iqbal Hussain Wani of downtown Srinagar received 20 stitches in the head after hit by a teargas shell near Gandhi College Babademb injuring him seriously. Wani, a resident of Khanqah-i- Mohalla, had gone to buy groceries from the market when he was hit by the shell fired by police to quell the protesters in the area around 10 am.

“The peaceful protest was going on and I was buying vegetables near the roadside. Suddenly, a police party came and fired indiscriminately at protesters. I was hit by a teargas shell in head. Many others were also injured in the police action,” he said.

Wani, a businessman by profession, has been admitted in post-surgical ward of SMHS, after being shifted to the hospital on the bike by the locals. Wani is a lone son of his parents and his father Mehraj-ud-Din Wani is paralyzed. His mother could not visit hospital to look after him as he taking care of her paralytic husband. Wani’s friends are looking after him.

“He received 20 stitches in the head. We are looking after him as his parents won’t be able to come to hospital to attend him,” said one of his friends. In the same ward, a 26-year-old physically handicapped Firdous Ahmad Katoo, is undergoing treatment for pellet injuries.

Katoo, a resident of Noorbagh Qamarwari, was hit by pellets all over his body in Safakadal area this morning. According to his family, he had left in the morning for SMHS to see a relative admitted in the hospital.

“No protest or stone pelting going was going on in the area. The forces fired pellets indiscriminately at us near Latter Masjid. I was hit by pellets all over the body and was brought to the hospital by the passers-by,” he said.

Haseena Bano, mother of Katoo, said her son is not properly able to walk and speak. “And how can he be part of any protest”. She said police did not even spare his handicapped son, who even can’t walk normally.

Farooq, 26, who is suffering from polio since his childhood, has been hit by pellets in legs, chest, face and back. Farooq’s brother, Manzoor said his brother sustained pellet injuries all over the body because he could not run for the safety when the forces were firing pellets indiscriminately.