Probe begins into death of pellet-hit youth

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, February 21

The police in Kulgam district of south Kashmir have started an investigating the sudden, unexplained death of a youth, who suffered pellet injuries during last year’s unrest in the Kashmir valley.

Deceased Waseem Ahmad Thoker, a resident of Shouch village in Kulgam district, was found dead in his room at an orphanage in the Czawalgam area of the district on early Monday morning. Thoker worked as an ambulance driver at the orphanage, headed by his father.

According to the family, Thoker got injured on September 7 last year in Mirhama village of Kulgam district during protests. “He was hit by around 250-300 pellets in his chest,” they said.

The family members added that they could not think of anything else other than the pellet injuries being the cause of his death. Meanwhile, RD Kasana, Medical Superintendent at Kulgam district hospital, told The Tribune that Thoker was brought dead to the hospital at about 9.05 am. “The doctors conducted some tests and established that he was dead,” Kasana said, adding that the cause of death could not be established.

Kulgam SP Sreedhar Patil told The Tribune that the police had started an investigation under Section 174 of the CrPC into the matter.