Kolkata, Sep 10 (IANS) Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh, also a former Indian Army chief, on Saturday described pellet firing as non-lethal and said it was a "sensible and well-thought" decision by the Union Home Ministry to use the weapon for controlling protesting mobs in the Kashmir Valley.
"Pellet firing is non-lethal. The Home Minister's (Rajnath Singh) decision was sensible and well-thought. People who come close to firing get injuries," the minister said on the sidelines of a seminar organised by the Federation of Association of Small Industries of India.
However, pellet firings have caused at least six deaths including one on Saturday when security forces fired at a protesting mob in a south Kashmir village. Hundreds of civilians, including minors, have lost their eyesight partially or fully after they wer hit by pellets in the restive valley.
