Srinagar: In occupied Kashmir, the 16-25 year-olds have been the worst victims of Indian forces’ brutalities in the ongoing uprising as over 7,748 youngsters falling in the age group have been injured in the in last 126 days.The official data revealed that at least 9,010 people have been injured in forces’ firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shell and beating across the Valley in the last over four months.
The data prepared by district hospitals revealed that over 6,200 people were treated by doctors in district hospitals for pellet injuries and 365 for bullet wounds. “2427 were treated after being either hit by teargas canisters, stones or beaten by forces. 90 percent of the injured treated in the district hospitals were in the age group of 16 -25,†it stated.
A doctor at district hospital in Islamabad in a media interview said that most of the patients treated in the hospital were teenagers and students. “Some had sustained pellet injuries in eyes, face and back while some others were hurt after being hit by teargas shells or beaten by the forces’ personnel,†he added.
More than 7,000 people, mostly youth, have sustained pellet injuries in the use of force by Indian police and troops in four months in the Valley. Of these, about 1200 were hit by pellets in eyes. The data also revealed that 68.8 percent of the victims were hit by pellets. It said that a total of 9,010 people were injured in the Indian forces’ action and among them, 1,248 were children who were below the age of 15.
The data showed that injured included 243 children below the age of 12 and 1,005 between the ages of 12 and 15. The data, however, does not specifically mention about the eye injuries due to pellet but the ophthalmology units in three top Srinagar hospitals received more than 1,300 such patients, most of them young, were either blinded completely or lost their vision in one eye.
