Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on Wednesday to meet the patients from Jammu and Kashmir who had received serious injuries from pellet guns in the recent protests over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
J&K Congress chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who accompanied Mr. Gandhi, told The Hindu that Mr. Gandhi inspected the wounds of all the five victims. “He asked them in what circumstances they got injured and spoke to doctors about their health,” Mr. Mir said. Last week, amid the raging violence in the State, the Congress took a strong stand in Parliament against the use of pellet guns. But two days ago, CRPF chief Durga Prasad brushed aside the criticism and reiterated that the forces would continue firing pellets at protesters.
Mr. Mir said that though Mr.Gandhi’s visit was based on human grounds, it strengthened the party’s resolve to intensify its campaign against the use of pellet guns. “The PDP-BJP government has lost control over the police and paramilitary forc
Despite Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Kashmir, Mr. Mir said, the CRPF’s stand indicated that the BJP government at the Centre was “no longer interested in saving the lives” of the Kashmir people and “further encouraged the forces to use maim the civilian protesters.”
‘Will raise voice’
“We [the Congress] will continue to raise our voice against the disproportionate use of force in the valley,” he said. Among the patients Mr. Gandhi met was a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy. All five received pellet injuries in the eyes.
