Srinagar
In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a bullet injury to an elderly woman during the routine firing drills of Indian Air Force personnel sparked anti-India protests in Badgam district.
People blocked the Budgam-Khansaheb road demanding stern action against the Indian Air Force personnel involved in the act. The protesters said that they did not know who would be injured next after Fatima.
The 65-year-old woman, Fatima Begum, who was washing vegetables, was hit in her right leg inside her house in Wolina village of Budgam when the bullet, fired by Indian Air Force personnel, had pierced the roof of her house. In pain, Fatima fell unconscious on the floor. There was no one else in the house, so neighbours could only rush her to the hospital when they discovered her, much later.
Nasrullah, Fatima’s younger son, told media that his mother would have died had she been in a slightly different spot in the house. He still has the bloodied scarf with which his mother attempted to tie the wound when the bullet first hit her leg.
The village of Wolina is located around 19 kilometers from Srinagar. The Air Force base camp is situated next to the Srinagar International Airport. Last week, nearly every house in the village was hit by bullets, according to the villagers. “Every house had a window shattered by a bullet. There were holes in every house. Some houses were damaged even worse,” said villager Mohammad Qasim.
Qasim said that in the past, scores of people have died due to heart-related ailments due to these firing drills. “The firing has put the fear of death in us,” he said.
The Budgam tehsildar recently sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Budgam over the firing drills.
“This has become a daily routine of Air Force personnel to conduct their firing drill while violating norms and guidelines. Air Force personnel are firing aerially in the direction of Wolina village which has put the life of villagers at risk,” stated the letter.—KMS
