Fri 23 August 2019:
Records of two main hospitals show Indian troops’ use of force in Srinagar since the lockdown began earlier this month.
At least 152 people reported to Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) and Shri Maharaj Hari Singh hospital with injuries from pellet shots and tear gas fire between August 5 and August 21, according to data acquired by Reuters news agency.
The Indian government, which has not yet provided any figures of the injured, has said there have been no deaths in this month’s demonstrations.
Authorities in India deployed additional paramilitary police, banned public gatherings and cut mobile phone and internet links to prevent large-scale protests after withdrawing the territory’s special status on August 5.
However, people, especially youth, have come out on the streets of Srinagar, on occasions such as Friday prayers or Eid this month, to protest India’s unprecedented move, in which clashes between Indian security forces and demonstrators have taken place.
A local government official in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the number of injured was probably higher than the figures from the two hospitals.
Many of those who were discharged within hours do not feature in their list, said the official, adding that those treated at smaller hospitals remain unaccounted for.
-Source: Al Jazeera
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