Matrix Report
In the aftermath of India’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status a few days ago, troubling stories have emerged suggesting the use of tear gas and pellet guns on innocent civilians by the Indian forces.
According to Al Jazeera news, Asrar Khan, a 16 year old Kashmiri, was severely injured after coming under attack from Indian forces. It was reported that “a returning group of Indian paramilitary troops fired a tear gas shell at Khan. He was also hit by pellet gun shrapnel in the face. Doctors at the Shere Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) operated on him during the night after CT scans revealed severe internal bleeding in the head.”
On Friday, after a brief relaxation in the Indian curfew, thousands of Kashmiris rallied to protest against the Indian government’s decision of illegally and unilaterally ‘annexing’ the valley with the Indian territory.
Moreover, in an unexpected turn of events, the Western media has strongly criticised the BJP government, along with chiding India for its rights violations in the valley.
A BBC story on the Kashmir unrest also suggests that a majority of young Kashmiris are not happy with the decision and believe that India has ‘pushed them back into medieval times’.
The BBC reporter narrated the story of a young and angry Kashmiri father in the following words:
“This is my only son. He’s too small now, but I will prepare him to pick up a gun too,” he says. He’s so angry that he doesn’t even care that he’s saying all this within earshot of the policeman standing near us.
On the other hand, Australia’s SBS news reported:
Indian police have used tear gas and pellets to fight back at least 10,000 people protesting Delhi’s withdrawal of special rights for Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir state in its main city of Srinagar, a police official and two witnesses say.
Another story on the CNN, by James Griffiths, reported similar horrors:
Politicians have reportedly been detained, journalists restricted in their reporting and human rights groups have warned of potential abuses due to the lack of international oversight enabled by the communications blackout.
It seems that India did not calculate the backlash resulting from its hasty decision of withdrawing Kashmir’s special status. Critics argue that the situation can get worse once the curfew is lifted in totality.
