SRINAGAR: In a crowded hospital in Kashmir a 17-year-old student is recovering from gunshot wounds, one of thousands of civilians injured in protests against Indian rule that have exploded since the death of a popular rebel leader a year ago.
When government forces came to his village in the picturesque Himalayan region recently to raid a militant hideout, the teenager, who does not want to be named, threw himself into a hail of bullets to help the fighters escape.
“I leapt in between a trapped rebels and soldiers who were shooting and took the bullets myself,” he told AFP from his hospital bed in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK).
Kashmir is one of the most heavily militarised spots on earth with a long history of conflict.
The mountainous region is home to dozens of armed groups fighting for independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.
But since the charismatic rebel leader Burhan Wani was shot dead by security forces on July 8, civilians have played an increasingly active role in the rebellion against Indian rule.
The death of the dashing 23-year-old, who had built up a big following on social media as he posed with an AK-47, sparked a huge outpouring of grief in Kashmir.
Nearly 100 civilians were killed in mass protests in the months that followed, most shot dead by security forces.
Many more were blinded by the pellet guns used by government forces in the region, further exacerbating the divide between authorities and an already alienated civilian population.
Hospital authorities in Srinagar say they have seen a steady stream of injured civilians since July and treated more than 1,000 for “horrific” eye injuries.
In parts of south Kashmir – the epicentre of the renewed insurgency – villagers began intervening in anti-rebels raids, throwing stones at government forces to create a distraction and give the rebels a chance to flee.
Published in Daily Times, July 7th , 2017.
