Srinagar: For 18 year old Wahid Manzoor, October 13 proved to be the black day of his life as it was on this fateful day that the young teenager lost sight in his right eye. Wahid, unmindful of the happenings around ventured out to catch a ‘braid chopper’ however, during the melee he was hit by pellets fired by troops leaving him and his family in utter shock.

 It was Friday, 13 October when Wahid rushed out of his home as people in Khoshki Gurpora, Rainawari where chasing an alleged ‘braid chopper’.

“As everybody was running outside, Wahid also ran out when he was helping me with some chores at home. He just got up and ran out in a flash, I kept calling him to come back, but he did not,” his mother, Shahnaza said.

According to the relatives there was total frenzy in the area, as everybody was shouting and running after ‘a braid chopper’ who was seen nowhere.

“After sometime there were loud bangs that were heard just outside Wahid’s home—a space that was separated by a small water body. On this side of the water body are the interiors of Rainawari, on the other side is Saida kadal area,” said, a relative of Wahid.

“When we heard loud bangs, we started to tremble with fear as there was no deployment of the forces on this side, however, later we came to know that there was some disturbance in Saida Kadal area and the forces while chasing boys from the other side had reached to this very end—Rainawari,” said Khizir Muhammad, Wahid’s grandfather, adding that when they saw boys running towards them from this side—which in reality was not true—they fired pellets without any warning.

Ironically, Wahid found himself leading the group of boys that was chasing the ‘braid chopper’ and when the forces, as per family, fired pellets, Wahid was the first one to be hit, and unluckily his right eye and other body parts bore the brunt of it.

“After we heard bangs, I moved out and start searching for him, but I couldn’t,” said his mother, adding that after she returned back to home some guy carried Wahid on his shoulder and dropped him on the Veranda, where he was lying in a pool of blood which was still oozing out from his wounds on both the arms including his face.

The family earlier was not able to figure out that Wahid’s eye was hit. It was the same guy, who after informing Wahid’s father Manzoor Ahmed Bafanda, took him to SMHS, where the family was informed that his right is completely damaged and he may have to undergo surgery.

“Doctors said that there are fewer chances for him to regain his vision and that can be figured only after he undergoes surgery,” said his grandfather.

Wahid, a class 11 student was preparing for his final exams apart from helping his family in the construction of their new house.

Wahid’s father, an auto driver profession is working hard to make his ends meet, but after the tragedy that has stuck the family, Manzoor has plunged deep into the state of hopeless who, as per the family, until yesterday was refusing to move out and resume his work.

After getting no assurance from different private and government hospitals here, the family has decided to take him to Indore, where, the family has heard that special and advanced treatment is available for such patients.

“Everybody told us to take him to Indore, so we did, he along with his elder brother, Suhail Ahmad and maternal uncle are on their way to Indore,” said his grandfather, adding that they only decided to move out after getting satisfactory assurance from the doctors in Indore, that Wahid will be able to see again.

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