Depression, PTSD, substance abuse: Kashmir study reveals the psychological impact of a pellet gun wound
A 2018 study from Government Medical College, Srinagar, highlights the significant psychological toll on victims of pellet gun injuries in Kashmir. The research indicates high rates of depression, PTSD, and panic disorders among those who suffered grievous injuries, particularly to the eyes.
Why it matters
The study provides critical insight into the long-term mental health consequences of non-lethal crowd control weapons used in civil unrest.
At the peak of the 2016 protests in Jammu & Kashmir, Javeed Khan (name changed) was protesting on the streets of Srinagar’s old city when a shot from a pellet gun hit him. Everything went blank, a feeling Mr. Khan described as having “hot iron” inside his eyes, and he lost vision in one eye.
Ten years later, Mr. Khan vividly remembers that day. “I still get flashes of the day when I lost vision in my one eye. It felt like hot iron inside my eye, setting a fire-like sensation. I am still under the supervision of psychiatrists in Srinagar,” he said.
Mr. Khan is one of those thousands of pellet gun victims who carry the scars and visit psychiatrists and ophthalmologists in Kashmir for treatment.
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