HC seeks Centre's report on use of pellet guns in Kashmir

Disapproving of the use of pellet guns by the security forces against protesters, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has sought a report from the Centre on handling of the weapon by untrained personnel.

Saying that maximum people have suffered eye injuries, the court asked the government to file a response and review the use of pellet guns.

The court asked the Assistant Solicitor General of India to look at other means of crowd control.

The court said the high number of injuries to the civilians was due to untrained security personnel using pellet guns.

The observation came after Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General of Police had said that 114 companies of the paramilitary forces, which were undergoing training elsewhere, had to be summoned to Kashmir to control the recent unrest.

The court also asked the government to restore mobile phone services in the valley as the ban was affecting the people.

Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry has set up a seven-member expert committee for exploring the other possible alternatives to pellet guns.

The committee will submit its report within two months.