Srinagar, November 10, 2016: A 14-year old 6th school grill Munazah Rashid died due to PAVA shell smoke fired by Indian forces in Srinagar. The 6th standard student, Munazah Rashid suffered severe breathlessness on November 2 when Indian paramilitary forces fired PAVA shells and tear gas shells at Anchar, Soura in Srinagar. The 6th standard student inhaled smoke from the chilli-based ammunition, she started complaining of breathlessness and burnt throat, father of the victim said. I rushed her to Institute of Medical Science Soura in Srinagar and the doctors there immediately put her on a ventilator and she died Thursday morning in the hospital. “She was absolutely fine, was having lunch the day Indian government forces fired PAVA in the area and soon after, she started complaining of breathlessness.”
In the 125 days of the ongoing mass uprising, four persons from south Kashmir’s Kulgam district have complained of respiratory infection due to PAVA shells but this is the first reported case of death by chilli-based grenades used as an alternate to pellet guns in the territory.
After the 6th standard student inhaled smoke from the chilli-based ammunition, she started complaining of breathlessness and burnt throat, he said. “I took her to a doctor for treatment and he gave her some medicines but she didn’t get any relief,” Rashid said. “For 6 days, Munazah was taking medicines prescribed by the doctor, but the problem got aggravated with each passing day.” Munazah’s father said he did not know what to do when his daughter complained of breathlessness due to PAVA smoke.
“If you get hit by a bullet or a pellet, you know you have to rush to a doctor but this is the first time that this PAVA has been used and I had no idea how to deal with it,” he said. “We kept giving Munazah the medicine that the doctor prescribed thinking she might get well but on 9th November when her health deteriorated and she started gasping for breath, I rushed her to hospital and the doctors there immediately put her on a ventilator and she died Thursday morning.”
“There is nothing in medical literature about PAVA and its effects and when Munazah was brought to the hospital, she had cardio respiratory problem, was suffering from pneumonia, and had sepsis,” doctors said. Rashid said he was certain that PAVA shell had killed her daughter. “I’m 100 percent sure that PAVA killed my daughter,” he said. “She was absolutely fine, was having lunch the day Indian government forces fired PAVA in the area and soon after, she started complaining of breathlessness.”