NEW DELHI: The six-day largely peaceful Jallikattu protest turned violent on Monday across Tamil Nadu.
Several vehicles torched, police lathicharge large number of protesters, detained them by day end.
About 90 police personnel were also injured during the protest but the pellet guns infamous for being used on Kashmiris were not used on Tamilians. Why?
Comparing the visuals of arson and violence in Chennai to unrest in the Valley during the 2016 summer is not comfortable but it forced us to question ‘Are pellet guns reserved only for Kashmiris’?
The world’s first mass blinding incident in Kashmir following the death of Burhan Wani is unforgettable.
The ruthless response by the Indian security forces blinded hundreds of Kashmiri civilians.
Official figures showed that 8904 civilians were injured after security forces used pellet guns on protesters.
Those received pellet injuries were mostly teenagers who lost their vision now living in pain and suffer for entire life.
Senior journalist Shekar Gupta asked, “Tough question, but needs to be asked: police station/vehicles are burnt in the heart of Chennai, a metro. Where are the pellet guns?”
Tough question, but needs to be asked: a police station/vehicles are burnt in the heart of Chennai, a metro. Where are the pellet guns?
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) January 23, 2017
R Jagannathan, another journalist in response to Gupta’s tweet, said:
The answer is there is no insurgency or sustained attacks on the police. One or two incidents do not warrant pellets. Apples and oranges
— R Jagannathan (@TheJaggi) January 23, 2017
Yet another senior journalist, Harinder Baweja, supported Gupta’s argument:
Cant agree more. NOTHING 'warrants' pellet guns. The aloofness of Delhi's media n their apathy, if I may so say, is scary https://t.co/sjURyqcd6s
— Harinder Baweja (@shammybaweja) January 24, 2017