Kashmir’s Youngest Pellet Victim May Never Regain Complete Sight

Doctors fear that 18-month-old Hiba Nisar may never regain complete sight in her right eye injured by a pellet.

Eighteen-month-old Hiba Nisar is the youngest pellet victim in Kashmir.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Mirwaiz Umar Farooq)

Eighteen-month-old Hiba Nisar, the youngest pellet victim in Kashmir, has been discharged from hospital after surgery on her right eye, but doctors are not sure if her eyesight will be restored completely.

Hiba was playing inside her house in Kaprin village in Kashmir’s Shopian district when clashes broke out between protesters and security forces in the wake of an encounter where six militants were killed on Sunday, 25 November, the infant's mother, Marsala Jan, said.

“The encounter site is quite far from our house, but clashes broke out in our neighbourhood. First, there was tear smoke all around us which made Hiba cough, and then, there was a sudden bang. My daughter was hit in the eye by a pellet fired towards our home.”

Marsala Jan, Hiba Nisar’s mother

Jan told the media that her infant daughter was hit by a pellet as soon as they stepped out of their house as the smoke from the tear gas made it difficult for them to breathe inside.

Treatment is a Long-Drawn Process: Doctor

Doctors at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar said Hiba underwent surgery as she had suffered corneal perforation, an anomaly in the cornea resulting from damage to the corneal surface, caused by the pellets.

“Like most cases, the kid will be able to see, but there is no guarantee that her eyesight will be restored completely.” 

Doctor who treated Hiba told PTI

The doctor said the treatment is a long-drawn process and Hiba's parents will have to take lot of precautions to ensure that she does not get any complications.

“She will have to be brought here for follow-up treatment regularly. Her first appointment is next week,” the ophthalmologist said.

‘What Was Her Fault?’

Demanding severe punishment for the perpetrators, Hiba’s mother had earlier told The Indian Express:

“What was her fault? She is too young to understand what has happened to her…I only pray to God to give a severe punishment to those who are responsible for this. As a mother, only I can understand what she is going through.”

Marsala Jan, as quoted by <i>The Indian Express</i>

Hiba's father, Shaikh Ahmad, was reportedly not at home when the incident took place, but was away for work in an orchard in Kulgam.

J&K Human Rights Commission Sends Notices to DM, SSP of Shopian

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Tuesday, 27 November, issued notices to the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Shopian over the incident.

In response to a petition filed with the SHRC, Justice (Retired) Bilal Nazki, chairperson of the commission, issued notices to the two senior officers, reported IANS.

Two human rights activists have also approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take cognisance of Hiba's injury.

In their plea before the rights body, the activists – Syed Mujtaba Hussian and Mirza Jahanzeb Beg – have sought Rs 10 lakh compensation for the victim.

They also sought an independent investigation into the incident and action against the personnel involved in the firing of pellets.

Thousands of Kashmiris have been injured due to use of pellet guns as a crowd control non-lethal weapon by security forces during law and order situations.

While few deaths have been reported due to use of pellets, a large number of injured persons have lost eyesight in one or both eyes, leading to demands from various quarters for discontinuing the use of this weapon during law and order problems.

(With inputs from PTI, IANS, The Indian Express and The Wire.)