New Delhi, December 14, 2016 (PPI-OT):Interestingly, a week has passed since a US-based health rights group Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) had criticized India for using pellet guns misleadingly represented as “less than lethal”, yet the Indian Supreme Court is still seeking a report from the government on the use of this so-called non-lethal weapon by its forces in occupied Kashmir.
A bench of Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice DY Chandrachud in a petition filed by High Court Advocates Association of occupied Kashmir, has asked the government to file the report prepared by an expert committee constituted by the Home Ministry.
The petition is an appeal against a decision of the High Court of the occupied territory, which had dismissed the case. The High Court dismissed the matter citing the constitution of the committee of experts to explore other alternative to pellet guns.
The petitioner challenged this order contending that the High Court should have kept the matter pending till the expert committee submitted its report.
The bench asked the Indian government to file the report and posted the matter for hearing in the last week of January.
It merits a mention here that contrary to the claim of Indian government, the New York-based group Physicians for Human Rights in its report said, “While Indian authorities claimed that the use of these weapons was meant to reduce the potential for injuries or fatalities, PHR researchers found that their use had in fact caused serious injury and death” in the occupied territory.
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