Pellet guns may return to Valley

New Delhi: Pellet guns may be used to disperse and quell rioters and stone-throwers in the Kashmir Valley if the alternatives prove ineffective, the government told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The use of pellet guns and their role in causing widespread injuries often resulting in blinding of stone-throwing youths has been a subject of intense debate in recent times.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Union minister of state for home Hansraj G. Ahir said that the government had constituted an expert committee on July 26, 2016 to explore other possible alternatives to pellet guns as non-lethal weapons.

“The committee has submitted its report and the recommendations have been taken into account by the government for appropriate implementation… Accordingly, the government has decided that the security forces will resort to various measures such as using PAVA — chilli (shells and grenades), stun lac (shells and grenades) and tear smoke shells to disperse the rioters,” Mr Ahir said.

The minister added: “However, if these measures prove to be ineffective in dispersing of rioters, use of pellet guns may be resorted to.”