J&K approves release of Rs 41.16 lakh for woman blinded in 2016 pellet firing
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The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved the release of Rs 41.16 lakh to complete the LPG distributorship sanctioned for Insha Mushtaq, one of the youngest victims of the 2016 Kashmir unrest who lost her eyesight in a pellet gun incident.
The funds were approved a day after the government cleared the compensation. The distributorship had been sanctioned in 2018, but the remaining funds were not released after the PDP-BJP government fell and the Assembly was dissolved.
Announcing the decision, Jammu and Kashmir Food and Civil Supplies Minister Satish Sharma said the balance amount had been cleared under the Omar Abdullah government.
Speaking on Friday, Sharma said about Rs 20 lakh had been released earlier, and the remaining Rs 41.16 lakh had now been sanctioned. He added that the assistance was made through a special provision and not under any government scheme.
Reacting to the decision, Insha expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah but said pellet guns should never be used.
"Pellets should never be used anywhere in India because they destroy lives, like mine has been destroyed," she said, adding that thousands of people in Kashmir had suffered similar injuries and calling for a ban on pellet guns.
Insha was 15 years old when she was blinded in July 2016, three days after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani. She was hit by pellets after opening the window of her home in Sedow village to see protests outside. She also suffered fractures to her face and skull.
Despite losing her eyesight, Insha passed her Class 10 examination in 2018 with the help of a writer and is now in the final year of her bachelor's degree.
"I fought this over the last ten years, and it was a struggle, but now I am grateful for where I am," she said.
The LPG distributorship was announced by then chief minister Mehbooba Mufti in 2018 to help Insha become financially independent, but the funds remained pending for years in the absence of an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir.