The chorus to ban pellet guns has grown stronger in Kashmir as a third person died of pellet injuries. A civilian who was working on an ATM machine in Srinagar was killed on Tuesday evening when security forces fired pellets from a close range on him. According to doctors, the deceased Riyaz Ahmad was having 300 pellets in his abdomen and died on the spot. Khurram Parvez, programme coordinator, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), told the media that they have launched a campaign aimed at securing a global response so that the pellet guns are not used against civilians on the street protesters of Kashmir.
Reacting to the latest death by pellet guns, Amnesty International has said that “pellet guns are inherently inaccurate and indiscriminate, and have no place in law enforcement.” Amnesty has asked the J&K government to immediately stop the use of pellet guns in policing protests. Meanwhile Kashmir Bar Association has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in J&K High Court, pleading complete ban on the use of pellet guns for crowd control.