A screenshot from the CCTV footage of the acid attack.
Delhi: Acid used to attack 17-year-old purchased from Flipkart, 19-year-old is main accused
In a horrific incident which sparked outrage in Delhi, a 17-year-old girl, on her way to school with her younger sister, was attacked with an acid-like substance by two men on a motorcycle near her home in Dwarka Wednesday morning.
The girl, who was to take the CLAT exam on December 18 for admission to a national law university, sustained severe injuries on her face, neck and eyes. She is being treated at the Safdarjung Hospital.
Delhi Police said three men have been arrested following raids. The incident, police said, took place around 7.30 am and was reported to police at 9 am.
‘What was her fault, what was mine’: Acid attack reopens wounds
The news of a 17-year-old schoolgirl being attacked with acid has reopened old wounds for acid attack survivors. Speaking to The Indian Express, two of them, Nasreen Jahan and Laxmi Agarwal, said recklessness by authorities towards sale of acid was behind the latest incident.
Jahan, a single mother, was attacked with acid by her ex-husband in 2007. On Wednesday, she said she felt disappointed by the government’s inaction.
“Six months after our divorce, my husband attacked me with acid. I can tell you that acid ruins not just your skin but your life. Everyone judges you and looks at you a certain way. When I hear about other victims, I feel sad. This girl is just 17; what was her fault? What was my fault? I didn’t wish to live with my husband but he refused to accept our divorce. My children were very young at that time and I was critical. I have undergone eight operations. There are still many procedures left but I don’t have the money. I was to be provided with Rs 8 lakh as compensation; I only got Rs 5 lakh, that too after begging officials,” said Jahan, who was attacked in Delhi’s Indraprastha Park.
Acid attack victims in Delhi are not getting the money meant for them
Between 2018 and 2021, Delhi saw 32 cases of acid attacks, data shared in the Rajya Sabha as well as the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows. The attack on a 17-year-old girl in Dwarka has brought the spotlight back on such attacks, as well as the lack of a defined rehabilitation policy for victims in the national capital.
In 2018, Delhi reported 11 incidents, followed by 10 the year after. In 2020, the number of cases dropped to two amid the pandemic and lockdown, and rose to nine in 2021.
The Supreme Court had in 2015 directed states to control and regulate the sale of acid in retail shops, and had also asked the Centre to intervene.
