Hunger strike by acid attack victims

NEW DELHI: Awaiting justice for long, Geeta, a survivor of acid attack in Meerut in 2007, was one among the protesters who sat on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Friday. The members of Stop Acid Attack and other survivors were there to demand the implementation of guidelines issued by the Supreme Court to regulate sale of acid in shops and to have fast track courts for acid attack victims.
“It has been seven years but police have still not got hold of my attacker,” Geeta said, adding that police only registered an FIR and did not take any further action against the accused, Babbu. Another survivor, Muskaan Kashyap, was attacked by a group of eight in Bareilly over a property dispute on November 26. Police filed an FIR but could arrest only three men.
One of the demands of the campaigners is that police should provide chargesheet within 15 days. According to government guidelines, the victims should get a compensation of Rs 1 lakh in the first 15 days and of Rs 2 lakh in the next two months. The survivors alleged that they have not been receiving this compensation.
“We want the government to provide rehabilitation and jobs to victims,” Durga Prasad Shukla, a member of NGO Chhanv, said. “Government data shows that there were 60 cases of acid attacks in the last two years but, according to our own survey, we found the number to be close to 256,” he added. The survivors have been working in cafes and various other places they set up using money received as donations.
Campaigners also demanded hospitals have a separate budget for such cases. “We hope government fulfils our demands and does not let us down. If this does not happen, we shall continue protests,” Laxmi, a survivor, said. The protesters also included people from Asmita Theatre who have been performing nukkad naatak—Dastak—to protest this violence against women.