Srinagar, November 27: A 19-month-old girl is reported to be the youngest pellet victim in Jammu and Kashmir and is now undergoing a treatment in Srinagar hospital. According to reports, Hiba Jan, the 19-month-old baby was rushed to the hospital after she suffered an injury in the cornea of her right eye. Reports inform that the girl, who was born last year in March, was bleeding profusely after she was hit by the pellets. The incident took place on Sunday when security forces fired pellets to disperse a stone-pelting mob in Shopian district. Stones Pelted at Security Forces Vehicle in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian; Watch Video.
According to a report by TOI, the infant who suffered a severe eye injury, was admitted in ward 19 of the ophthalmology department of the SMHS hospital in Srinagar. The report informs that there are a dozen people admitted with pellet injuries in the same hospital. The encounter in Shopian district on Sunday had triggered violent protests in Kapran area, the same area where Masarat Jan lives with her two siblings and her two children, five-year-old son and 19-month-old daughter Hiba. Jammu & Kashmir: 6 Terrorists Killed, 1 Soldier Martyred in Shopian Encounter.
Describing her ordeal, Masarat said on opening the door, the forces fired pellets on her and her baby. She informed that her husband was not at home when the mishap took place. Masarat was quoted in a TOI report that there was a lot of chaos outside their house after six militants were gunned down by security forces in the encounter in Shopian. She added saying that the youth were pelting stones while the security forces were used tear gas shells.
While holding the baby in her one arm, Masarat sustained minor injuries in the hand which she used to protect her daughter. The report quotes Dr Tariq Qureshi, HOD Ophthalmology that the baby is stable now and his is trying their best to treat the baby. The doctor added saying that since Hiba is an infant, there are chances of her getting well but she certainly needs surgery. According to According to official records, there are 1,725 pellet victims, including 59 women who suffered injuries during the last two years.
Earlier this week, six militants and an Army Jawan were killed in an encounter in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter broke out in the Kapran Batagund area of the district. Reports inform that security forces have also recovered weapons from the site of the incident.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 27, 2018 01:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).