2400 FIR’s, 10,000 Arrests, Over 1600 Hit By Pellets In Face, 1100 Have Eye Injuries in 113 days of unrest

In last 113 days of unrest in Kashmir about 2400 FIRs have been registered and above 10,000 people arrested, according to police data. Among them, about 1500 persons are still in police stations and jails, the rest have been released on bail.
The arrests, according to the data, have been made in all districts of Kashmir.

During the ongoing unrest, more than 2240 incidents of clashes and protests have taken place.
The data accessed by Kashmir Post reveals that in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian 717 incidents of stone pelting, clashes and protests have taken place.
In central Kashmir districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, data reveals that 809 incidents of stone throwing, protests and clashes have taken place.

According to the data in north Kashmir districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora 712 such incidents have taken place.
The data further reveals that from July 8 to July 17, the intensity of protests was very high. During these days, 480 violent incidents of protests, clashes have taken place.
Fridays have also witnessed heavy number of violent incidents. The data reveals that 745 incidents of protests, clashes and pelting have taken place on Fridays. The police data also reveals that during 113 days 67 militancy related incidents have also taken place in Kashmir.
The data reveals that 52 structures were totally damaged in while 44 were partially gutted.
“Hunt to arrest those involved in stone throwing and street protests will continue,” said a senior police officer.
Pertinently, residents in most parts of Kashmir say that night raids by police have forced youth to go into hiding. The night raids are being conducted jointly by the police and paramilitary forces, almost daily, in south, central and north Kashmir, evoking stiff resistance from people.

Over 1631 civilians have been hit in face with pellets by security forces in the past 114 days, with 1100 of them having injuries in eyes, a trauma that has cost them their vision, partially or fully. Hundreds of pellet hit people are still waiting for vision corrective surgeries in hope of undoing the damage caused by pellets perforating their eyes.
Records consolidated from SMHS Hospital Srinagar and SKIMS Medical College Hospital Bemina Srinagar has revealed that at least 1500 have been hit by pellets in and around eyes. Of these, 1100 people have had pellet injuries right in their eyes, damaging their visual areas and resulting in visual impairment of varying degree.

As per records at SMHS Hospital, 970 people with pellet injuries in eyes had been received. Of these, 44 people had injuries in both eyes.
In addition, 524 people with pellet injuries around eyes have also been treated during the same period at this General Specialty Hospital. “These people had pellet injuries, even fractures on forehead, nose, cheeks, and jaws but their eyes were spared,” a medico at SMHS Hospital Srinagar said.
At SKIMS Medical College Hospital Srinagar, 131 people with injuries in eyes have been admitted during the same period. All of these, doctors said, had grave injuries causing loss of vision. The hospital has also admitted seven people whose both eyes had been hit by pellets.

In addition to the two hospitals, a few pellet injured people have also been taken outside the state, doctors at the two hospitals said. “A handful of pellet injured, due to various reasons, preferred to travel outside the state for treatment,” a doctor at SMHS Hospital said.
Even though at SMHS Hospital 513 people have had vitrectomies, a procedure for removing vitreous humor (clear fluid filling the eyeball), hundreds are in line for the surgery. Doctors said that almost all of the injured whose eyes have been perforated by pellets need vitrectomies in a bid to salvage their vision but due to the huge number of people injured by pellets, at least 300 more are in waiting for the surgery.
SMSH hospital is the only hospital in Kashmir where this operation is being conducted and other hospitals are not equipped with the machinery to carry out this complicated eye surgery.
Some of the injured, as per doctors, have to undergo multiple vitrectomies and other advanced eye surgeries.
Data reveals that 51 people have had bilateral eye injuries due to pellets. Of these, 24 have lost one eye totally implying that it has either eviscerated at the time of injury or had to be taken out surgically. Six people have had total loss of vision, implying that their eyes do not even have perception of light.
Hospital records said that at least 300 more had damage to vital visual areas of the eye, making restoration of the lost vision nearly impossible. “People with retina, optic nerve or macula damage will have a poor prognosis anywhere in the world,” SMHS Hospital doctors said.
As per data, Over 7200 people have been injured by pellets in three months with hundreds of them hit in vital organs.
Doctors said that pellets have caused grave injuries in thousands of people and urged that government move all its offices to put a stop on the use of this weapon that has caused an ‘epidemic of blind eyes’.

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