An afternoon with acid-attack survivors at a city college

They try hard not to break down as they recall and narrate the most horrific time of their lives. The gruesomeness of the attacks have not numbed their memories. They remember every detail. They flirted seriously with death but chose to live instead. They tell you they dread looking into the mirror in the same breath as they say they want to go out into the world and make a difference.They laugh during the photoshoot as they try out various poses; plan a movie outing, even invite us to go with them… Scarred, but not scared; bitter but hopeful; determined yet doubtful... these, the five girls and the lone boy, granted scholarships by Sathyabama University to pursue MBA and Visual Communication courses, are picking up pieces of their lives, willing themselves to put behind them their nightmarish past, and stand tall in their own eyes, and before the world. Six bravehearts, six stories, and, sadly, six statistics...
They did this so that we’d hide our faces, but we want the world to see us
Md Mozaffar Hossain, West Bengal
“After graduation, I was preparing for the Civil Services in Kolkata. There was this friend of mine – a lady friend, staying close by. I used to go to her place often – she was a Hindu. Some time in June 2014, they shifted a village close by. I continued going to her place - one day, in the night at 10 or so, the boys from the village caught me as I was leaving her place. There were some 25 of them, and started hitting me. I tried to explain, but two of them threw acid on me. My friend saw what was happening, and came out and tried to save me, but they hit her as well. I was subsequently admitted to a hospital… After a few days, I was transferred to a hospital in Tollygunj. I heard that my friend had identified the boys who threw acid on me. When I could talk again, I tried speaking to the girl, but she said that those boys were harassing their family. I have filed a case, but nothing has come of it… the guys have got bail – they were never even caught. They had somehow gotten hold of the application I filed, because I heard they had taken it to the girl’s house, demanding the complaint be withdrawn. I have also filed a case in the HC, but again, so far, I have received no court order for appearance… it’s two years now…
Gulnaj Khan, Uttrakhand
I am 20 now, and when the acid attack happened, I was 18. The boy was from Moradabad. My maternal grandmother stays there, so, I used to frequent her place. He saw me, and started following me to Uttrakhand, and troubling me as well. I started avoiding him, asked him not to do it many times. Then his brothers came home, and told my dad they liked me and wanted me to marry their brother. My dad asked me, and I said no, I wanted to study. He told those people he doesn’t want to marry me off against my wishes. I didn’t see him for two months after that. Then one day, I was returning from college and I saw him… he was behind me. I turned to look at him and he threw acid at me. I fell down, I tried to get up and run. Many guys had gathered around. I pleaded with them, screamed, ‘Save me, he’s throwing acid on me!’ But no one came forward. I fell down again. He had a knife in his hand, and slashed my neck. I raised my hands to protect my face, and my fingers got cut. I lay there shouting for help, there was acid in my eyes and couldn’t get up. I somehow got up, ran, went to a house close by, the entire village was following me by now. I requested, ‘aunty give me some water, my eyes are burning’. They left the house and ran away, didn’t give me water. I ran out again, and that’s when he threw acid on my face, it poured down my body, ears… even then, I pushed him and ran. There was an uncle on the road, he caught the boy... but I kept running towards home. My mom saw me and fainted. I went to the bathroom, poured water over all myself. It was burning like hell… my cousin took us to the hospital. The doctor said pay Rs. 35,000 or I will lose my eyesight forever. Somehow my mom managed to somehow get the money. Two months later, I came home, I gave my exams… I was fully burnt… even the college authorities didn’t help me, my hands weren’t working, and they didn’t give me a writer. I failed in one subject, passed four. I wanted to study further, gave my exams again next year… The boy got a 10-year imprisonment.
Sanno Sonkar, UP, Jaunpur
It was by my own cousins, my father’s sister’s sons who threw acid on me, because of a family property dispute. My sister and my marriages had been fixed. June 25 was my wedding day, and on June 12, they threw acid on me. We, my sisters and I, were coming back from sauchalaya in the field, and these guys, with jugs full of acid, confronted us suddenly. My sisters were a little distance away, so they were saved, but the whole lot fell on my head, and flowed all over my arms, back, legs… all got burnt. I ran home, dad fainted. No one knew what to do, they just went mad. My family took me to the hospital, but there also, they took a long time to come to our aid. After this, I was referred to the Banaras Hindu University Hospital. But they did not admit me, so, we went to another hospital. Those guys got off scot free – even a case was not registered properly against them by the cops. When I could, after six months, I myself started making the rounds of the hospitals, looking at surgery options, and also going to the court. My dad had to earn, feed the rest of the family. It was only last month that I could speak to the judge directly and just before I got admission to this college, he told me he will look after my case.
Makima Khatun, Murshidabad, West Bengal
One boy was in love with me, and I, too, liked him. He wanted to marry me. I come from a very poor family, and his family was more moneyed than ours. One day, he came home and told my mother he wanted to marry me. My mother said she could only talk about this if elders from his family came home to discuss this with her. He went home, and told his parents, but they were livid on hearing about his plans to marry me. They turned him out of the house. After he left home, he’d roam about in the streets. One day his mother accosted me and slapped me. She began accusing me for her son being in this condition, said that it’s because of me he’s gone astray. She threatened me, ‘I will ensure you will not be able to show your face to anyone’. My mother sent me to Kolkata to be with my brother. After about 15 days, my brother asked me to get my school leaving certificate and then return to Kolkata. It was the night before I was to head out to Kolkata. I was sleeping when his mother came and splashed acid all over me. The police did not visit me; most hospitals did not want to admit me. There were days on end when we stayed under a tree waiting for some kind of treatment to begin. We had to sell whatever little land we owned to raise money for my treatment. Since the boy’s family was willing to pay us some money for treatment in return for withdrawing the case against his mother, we closed the case. All I received from them was 1.30 lakh. The acid attack happened in 2011, and I have had 23 surgeries till date.
Rina Pal, Pratapgarh, UP
I was in Class IX, and there was this boy who’d trouble me a lot. He’d empty air from my cycle tyres and keep harassing me. My parents asked his parents to admonish him. His parents pulled him up, but the next day he taunted me. He did not mend his ways, but I did not tell my mother anything out of fear that she’s ask me to quit school and stay at home. But one day, my mother asked me why I was walking back home when I had a cycle. I had to tell her that this boy had not stopped troubling me. She asked me to leave school, but my uncle convinced her that I shouldn’t stop my education. So, I went to Delhi to stay with my dad, who was working there, and I’d come back to my village write my exams.
It was during my second year of graduation, when I’d gone back to my hometown to write my papers, that I bumped into him. We exchanged some small talk, and went our ways. But the next day he called at 11am and asked me what time was I planning to leave for the exam centre. He, in fact, asked me not to leave early. My uncle came home, said he’d drop me on his bike. Some distance into our ride, I saw this bike and two people on it. One was covering his face with a cloth, and the other, who was behind him, had his face fully covered and on his head was a helmet. At one crossing, there was a speed breaker, and the guy on the bike behind us honked incessantly. I turned to see what the matter was, and that’s when he threw acid on my face. Within seconds, my face hung limply on to my side. I turned to ask him not to do it, and that’s when he attacked me the second time. This time it was on my hands and chest. I was writhing in agony, I fell on the road. My uncle, too – his back and my face, chest and hands bore the brunt of the acid attack. My clothes were torn and there was smoke coming out of my body. I was thirsty and if someone had given me water, I could have gulped a whole bucket of it. I was shouting and screaming and my body was just not under my control. Finally, I was taken to someone’s house… Bits of flesh clung to my clothes. The police came and wanted to take my statement. I was in no position to talk or write. My uncle pleaded with the cops to give me some time before recording my statement. Hospitals and ambulances gave us a tough time as they refused admission without advance payment. My body had swollen up twice its size. The boy’s side is very influential and in my village theirs is a much-respected voice. He got a mere 11-month imprisonment. I have now transferred my case to Delhi. Let’s see what comes out of it.
Shabnam Sultana, West Bengal
This boy was my friend. I was in my second year at college when he proposed to me. I rejected his proposal saying I wasn’t interested in marriage as I was still studying. Then he began troubling me. He’d land up at the tuition centre I used to go to, show up on the grounds where I used to practise basketball. I asked him not to disturb me, but he did not listen. Then, one day, he landed up at home, asking my mother to marry me off to him. My mother told him it was time for us to study, and that in the future, if we were destined to be together, our marriage would happen. Soon after, his mother called up my mother asking her what she thought of her boy. Once again, my mother said that he’s a nice boy but it’s too early to talk of marriage. After this, his mother and he took turns to call up my mother and disturb her. One day, my mother lost it,and told them off. Two months later, I was alone at home when someone rang the bell… it was around 10am. I opened the door, and he threw acid on me. I couldn’t see a thing. My body melted away like plastic in front of my eyes. I ran out to the road, and sho uted for help. I was wearing a synthetic maxi, and it stuck in bits and pieces to my flesh. At the hospital, the doctor just put some ointment. The boy’s family gave a wrong statement, saying I had recovered and had been discharged. They went scot-free. I filed a bail rejection, but nothing came of it. All he got was 41 days’ imprisonment.
In case of an acid attack, here’s what you can do immediately
All of them said had they got the correct first-aid, they could have salvaged their eyesight, hearing, as well as minimized the burns. So, we spoke to an expert; and here’s what needs to be done… - Acid attack results in chemical burns. Immediately wash the body in sterile running water. If it’s ice-cold water, even better. If there's a water body-a swimming pool, a big well – just dip the person in water. That’s the first step to neutralising the acid. So remember, it should be water, water and more water first for an acid-attack victim. - Do not try to remove the victim’s clothes. If the dress is loose, you can try to cut it open, but never remove clothes sticking to the patient’s body. - Do not prick or cut open the boils that form as a result of the acid burn. The skin bloats, and it’s the skin that acts as the best barrier against infections.
- Remember the Rule of Nines. In case of an acid attack, if the legs are burnt, it accounts for 18%, two legs would mean 36%, each hand is 9%, face is 6%... When the burn is over 35%, it’s generally fatal. Such patients should be immediately rushed to the hospital.
- Administer injection TT to all acid-attack victims
- Apply a topical antibiotic ointment, like silver ointment, all over the affected parts so as to prevent infection.
Dr. GR Ratnavel, Professor and HOD, department of cosmetology, Government Stanley Medical College, Chennai
Legalese
The immediate thing to do is to file a complaint with the cops. Put everything in writing, and ensure you have copies of everything you have filed and submitted to minimize the possibilities of fudging or a cover-up later.
Victims, know your rights It’s the legal maze and the fight for compensation that defeats most acid attack survivors. But knowing the law is half the battle won, say experts…
- If the prosecutor on behalf of the complainant is inefficient, or if his or her integrity is questionable, they can hire another lawyer who can assist the prosecutor. Mind you, the lawyer cannot take over, but can assist.
- They can appeal to the High Court, if the case is not going to trial, for a transfer of the case.
- As far as compensation is concerned, each state has its own rules. The court can also award discretionary compensation at the end of the case.
Akila Ramalingam, lawyer
The LAW
CrPC Section 357A: Victim compensation scheme
For those seeking immediate monetary relief, para 6 of Section 357A says…
“The State or the District Legal Services Authority, as the case may be, to alleviate the suffering of the victim, may order for immediate first-aid facility or medical benefits to be made available free of cost on the certificate of the police officer not below the rank of the officer incharge of the police station or a Magistrate of the area concerned, or any other interim relief as the appropriate authority deems fit.”
Section 326A of the IPC As part of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, this section, dealing with ‘voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc’, states:
Whoever causes permanent or partial damage or deformity to, or bums or maims or disfigures or disables, any part or parts of the body of a person or causes grievous hurt by throwing acid on or by administering acid to that person, or by using any other means with the intention of causing or with the knowledge that he is likely to cause such injury or hurt, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, and with fine; Provided that such fine shall be just and reasonable to meet the medical expenses of the treatment of the victim; Provided further that any fine imposed under this section shall be paid to the victim.
- Akila Ramalingam, lawyer