60 year old pellet victim struggles to regain vision
A sixty year old is the latest victim of the pellet guns with his eyes badly damaged after he received a hail of fire from lethal weapons following an encounter in Sopore last Wednesday.
On Wednesday, when a gunfight ended in Pazalpora, Sopore, in which two militants were killed, 60 year old, Ghulam Mohiudin Mir of Seelu Sopore, had to pay a heavy price when he along with other elders of the area went to demand the body of the slain militants. They were fired upon with pellets, injuring Mir and one other person severely.
When the group of elders reached the spot, angry youth had already gathered there and were raising pro-freedom and pro-militant slogans. Mir, along with some other elders, approached the security officials seeking the bodies of militants for last rites, when someone among the crowd pelted stones on army men and in retaliation t policemen present on the spot directly fired pellets injuring Mir and many others.
Mir is currently admitted at SMHS’s ward number 8, where doctors say, that he has suffered damage to his both eyes. “As of now his life is filled with darkness, with little hope of recovery of vision as his eyes are badly damaged, and the right one is damaged beyond repair,” said a doctor on duty, while talking about Mir. “He may have to undergo several surgeries, even after that we cannot assure that he will get his vision back.”
“He was not part of any protest, he was there to demand bodies of local militants,” said his son, Mudasir Ahmad Mir.
Ghulam Mohiudin Mir was laid over one of the beds at SMHS and gets nightmares. “He does not sleep during night and keeps on murmuring different things,” said his son, adding that “he even shouts and the entire ward gets alarmed.”
Doctors attending Mir, said that he is in deep trauma and it will take him “ some more time to get out of it.’’ “It is because of psychological trauma he is undergoing, it will take him some more time for Mir to heal psychologically,” said a doctor on duty.
As per the official data during the holy month of Ramadhan around 60 eye injury cases were brought to SMHS and all were hit with pellets, however majority of them were discharged after initial treatment. “ Rest with injuries in one eye or in both have either been discharged, to avoid the media glare, or are still undergoing treatment. Majority of the injured were hit near encounter sites, or post encounter, mainly with bullet injuries followed by grave pellet injuries,’’ said an official.
KV Correspondent
