Photos: Stone pelters vs pellet guns in Kashmir
Updated On Jul 13, 2017 08:52 AM IST
The death of Hizbul militant Burhaan Wani, Kashmir valley plunged into a summer of violence with security personnel using pellet guns in response to the civilian tactic of stone pelting. At least 90 people were killed and 1,000 wounded during the ensuing unrest. These images explore the justifications by both parties involved on the ground.
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Updated on Jul 13, 2017 08:52 AM IST
A shift in the patterns of violence in Kashmir has been witnessed in the past one year. After the death of Hizbul militant Burhaan Wani, Kashmir valley plunged into crisis. At least 90 people were killed and 1,000 wounded during the ensuing unrest with security forces taking to pellet guns for crowd control. Thousands of police personnel and security forces dotted the roads and villages of the valley to prevent the aftermath. Young boys first took to throwing stones in mass protests during the 2008 uprising. Since then, it has become a popular way for youths to express their anger against the government and authorities in the valley. (Cathal McNaughton / REUTERS)
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The clashes, sparked by the July 8, 2016 killing by security forces of separatist militant Burhan Wani, have grown to spread to college campuses and schools.They are drawing a new generation into a decades-old struggle for ‘azaadi’, or independence for India’s only Muslim-majority region, which is also claimed by neighbouring Pakistan. (Cathal McNaughton / REUTERS)
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A composite image shows a 25-year-old police officer (L), and an 18-year-old student and stone pelter, who both asked to remain anonymous, in Kashmir, India. The police officer said, ‘I am the son of a farmer and joined the police as I had no job. We are part of the same society, and using force against children is very difficult for us. We try to exercise maximum restraint, that is why we get injured.’ The protester meanwhile responded, ‘I was hit by pellets last year during stone pelting and taken to a nearby hospital. There were 48 pellets in my body, out of which 35 were removed and rest are still inside.’ (Cathal McNaughton / Reuters)
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A stone pelter lobs a tear gas canister back at police during disturbances in Srinagar, India. Many young men in the state’s summer capital of Srinagar, find themselves fighting street battles, slinging stones at pellet gun wielding police officers from their own communities, and even their own families engaged in opposing sides of the turmoil. (Cathal McNaughton / REUTERS)
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In retaliation a police officer throws a rock at stone pelters during disturbances in Srinagar. ‘Pellet guns are intended not to be lethal, but their use by India’s security forces has caused severe injuries and several deaths of bystanders, women and children among them,’ said one 25-year-old officer. (Cathal McNaughton / Reuters)
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This composite picture shows a 47-year-old police officer (L), and a 19-year-old student and stone pelter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, posing for portraits in Kashmir, India. The police officer explained, ‘I've been in crowd control since 2008. First we chase the stone pelters. We fire tear gas only when the crowd gets out of control.’ The protester justified his actions, saying, ‘My parents tell me not to do stone pelting but I do, as we want freedom from India. I was hit by pellets in 2016. Two pellets are still in my body.’ (Cathal McNaughton / Reuters)
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A stone pelter poses in an orchard near Srinagar. Human rights groups have urged India to renounce their use of pellet guns, calling it a violation of the UN’s principles of restraint. (Cathal McNaughton / Reuters)
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Pro-independence graffiti is sprayed on a shop shutter during curfew in Srinagar, India. In recent times, militant gunmen have killed police officers in their own homes in a wave of fatal attacks. Some protesters are not only against Indian administration of the region, but also against their parents. Each wave of street protests – the last major incidents in 2008 and 2010 – radicalized a new wave of young people in the valley. (Cathal McNaughton / Reuters)
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A twenty-year-old student and stone pelter, who asked to remain anonymous, said, ‘I was hit by pellets during stone pelting. I didn’t tell anyone and went inside Jamia Masjid. Then I went home and slept in my room and didn’t tell my family about it and finally, they came to know and I was taken to SHMS hospital in Srinagar. I have 80 percent of vision in my right eye now. If I get a chance, I can pick up the gun." (Cathal McNaughton / REUTERS)
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Graffiti is sprayed on a wall in Srinagar, India. Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over the Kashmir issue, which each claims in full but administers only in part. (Cathal McNaughton / REUTERS)
