Feroz Aslam, who lost his vision a decade ago after being hit by shotgun pellets fired by Indian security forces during an antigovernment protest in Sopore, Indian-administered Kashmir, expressed the personal toll of his injuries. “For the past 10 years, it has been my parents – ailing themselves – who have been serving me food,” the 28-year-old told Al Jazeera, adding, “Being their eldest son, it embarrasses me extremely.”

Aslam recounted the attack: “Seven pellets went into my right eye and six into the left, and more than 300 hit my chest.”

The makers of the Bollywood film 'Chauhaan' have been accused of mocking more than 1,000 Kashmiris who were partially or completely blinded by pellet shotguns. Critics say the film downplays the severity of the injuries sustained by victims.

In 2016, at the peak of pellet gun use by Indian forces, the Supreme Court of India cautioned against their indiscriminate use, stating they must be deployed sparingly and only after proper consideration by authorities.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a 2021 report, urged governments to take preventive measures to protect children, including ending the use of pellets against children, ensuring children are not associated with security forces, and endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration and the Vancouver Principles.

Since then, Bollywood has produced films such as 'Article 370', 'Baramulla', and 'Kashmir Files' which critics say rationalize government actions using Islamophobic tropes and reducing Kashmiri Muslims to caricatures.

Meanwhile, a Kashmiri rights activist has won a partial court victory but remains behind bars.

Sources