Kashmir’s First Casualty After Article 370: 17-Year-Old Drowns Fleeing CRPF

The Modi government’s decision to nullify Article 370 and divide Jammu & Kashmir into two Union territories has claimed its first civilian victim—a 17-year-old boy named Osaib Altaf, from Srinagar’s Palpora area—HuffPost India has learnt.

Separately, a visit to Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, and interviews with hospital authorities, revealed 13 additional cases of pellet injuries. At least some of these pellet injuries were to the eyes of these victims.

Altaf’s family told HuffPost India that he was among a group of boys who were near a playground in their locality, when they were chased away by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, on the afternoon of Monday August 5 2019. The same day, home minister Amit Shah announced the government’s plans to bifurcate the state in the Rajya Sabha.

-Article 370