Bollywood film ‘Chauhaan’ angers Kashmir pellet gun victims
An upcoming Bollywood film has sparked outrage among victims of pellet guns in Kashmir, who say the film's dialogue mocking past government policies and describing pellet guns as causing 'limited damage' trivializes their suffering. More than 1,000 Kashmiris have been blinded since 2010.
Victims' stories
Feroz Aslam, a 28-year-old man who lost his vision a decade ago when he was hit by pellets from a shotgun fired by Indian security forces during an anti-government protest in Sopore, calls the upcoming film unfortunate. He recalled that seven pellets entered his right eye, six into his left, and over 300 hit his chest. Aslam cannot see the teaser, but said that if the makers blindfolded themselves for a day, they would understand his suffering.
Since 2010, New Delhi introduced pellet guns to quell protests in the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, which is controlled by India and Pakistan and claimed by both. More than 1,000 Kashmiris have lost their vision partially or completely. The use of pellet guns peaked in 2016 after the killing of rebel commander Burhan Wani, sparking weeks of protests that left dozens dead and hundreds blinded, including women and children, some as young as 18 months.
Lingering pain
Many victims still experience agonizing pain. Masroor Khalid, blinded in 2016, still has more than 300 pellets lodged in his face and cannot afford surgery. He said his father still works as a mason to support the family.
Analyst views
Analysts say the film is part of a trend of Bollywood propaganda movies that support the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP government. Rakib Hameed Naik, who heads the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, said such films mock victims and are a business model. Ather Zia, a Kashmiri political anthropologist, said Bollywood has historically treated Kashmir as a silent backdrop or objectified Kashmiris as black-and-white caricatures.
The United Nations has condemned India's use of pellet guns against children. In 2016, the Indian Supreme Court cautioned against their indiscriminate use, but the government defended them as a non-lethal alternative to bullets.
