Srinagar: Human rights watchdog, HRW, has asked GoI to prohibit security forces in Jammu and Kashmir from using shotguns firing metal pellets.
In a statement, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, Meenakshi Ganguly, said: “Time and again, Indian law enforcement’s use of shotguns in Kashmir has resulted in shocking, grievous injuries of protesters and bystanders.”
“Indian authorities need to recognize that this weapon fired into crowds, even with violent demonstrators, will invariably cause indiscriminate and excessive injury in violation of international standards,” she said in the statement.
“The Indian government should cease the use of shotguns firing metal pellets and review its crowd control techniques to meet international standards,” Ganguly said.
Also Read : Mother Tongue
“Pellets fired from shotguns have caused thousands of injuries, including loss of eyesight, in the decade since Indian authorities first deployed them as an ostensibly “non-lethal” option for crowd control, to replace live ammunition. The move came after nearly 120 people were killed in Kashmir during weeks of violent protests in 2010,” HRW said in a statement. Adding that, Security forces typically use 12-gauge pump action guns to fire cartridges that are filled with dozens or hundreds of small metal pellets, which are sometimes referred to as “birdshot” or “dove shot” to reflect their role in hunting. While initially concentrated in a tight pattern as they are fired, the pellets spread out to create a constellation that can reach a wide radius, causing injuries indiscriminately, including to bystanders.
