Bhavani Etikala/ Irshad Hussain
Asif Ahmad Sheikh dreams were shattered by the Government forces in 2016 uprising, Blinded from right eye at the age of 9 then, Asif is now gradually losing vision on the other eye too.
“I am fond of reading. I am unable to read or write like I used to. I wanted to overcome the family’s financial crisis. Now, I am losing my vision.
Asif hails Kanabal area of South Kashmir was blinded during pellet firing and it left his family shocked, worried and helpless like thousands pellet gun victims.
Asif, who is now 14 told The Kashmiriyat that he went out to buy biscuits at 7pm and there was protest taking place in that area. ” Some angry youths were throwing stones at Security forces. I was not part of it. Security forces retaliated with pellets and I was injured.”
Every family dream about their children bright future. But Asif mother says that their family’s expectations were shattered in seconds when they came to know their son was fired by pellets and is admitted in Srinagar hospital.
” We didn’t not know how and why our son was fired by pellets.
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Many pellets were removed from his body by the doctors so far. There are still many metal pellets inside in his body and eyes which causes severe pain to him, ” his mother wept while looking at the x-ray reports.
“Today I am in 8th standard, I could not read properly. I scored well in the exams. My teacher appreciated me. I could do better. I want the remaining pellets to be removed. The financial crisis at my home is forcing me to live with the pellets inside my body.” Asif told The Kashmiriyat.
“The father is the only bread winner of the family. During lockdown we had to live with very little money. The lockdown since 5 th August in 2019 has not generated any income in the house and we couldn’t afford a check-up. It has been more than a year now. He started complaining about the pain in both the eyes and also says he’s unable to see through other eye too.” said his mother.
Asif is one among those 1459 people who were received eye injuries by the pellets during July 2016 to February 2019 according to the data available through Ministry of Home Affairs. The data also says that same period 139 were blinded during the same period. The unofficial data may range in many thousands.
“I receive minor shocks when I try to put anything on charge. Hence, I stay away from electronic devices with current passing through them,” says Asif. “My mother worked in a house as a helper for three months. They gave me phone to take my online classes. Now, I just wish to read without any issues,” he added.