At least 152 people in Jammu and Kashmir have been wounded by tear gas and pump action guns since August 5, when the Centre enforced a curfew in the state in the wake of the abrogation of special status to the state under Article 370 of the Constitution, Reuters reported on Friday.

The 152 wounded have been admitted to Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences and Shri Maharaj Hari Singh Hospital between August 5 and August 21, the news agency said. However, a local government official said that the number of injuries might be higher than those admitted to the two hospitals. He said that many of those who were discharged within hours do not feature in their list.

The Centre has said that there have been no casualties in the state since August 5, and claimed that protests have only been sporadic. However, it has not released any data on how many people have been wounded in police action.

India’s decision to rescind special status to Kashmir has again worsened relations with Pakistan. The neighbouring country condemned the decision, downgraded diplomatic ties with India, took the matter to United Nations Security Council and cut off trade. It has also threatened to appeal to the International Court of Justice and the UN Human Rights Council against India’s “atrocities” in Kashmir.

India, for its part, has asserted that Kashmir is its internal matter.

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