07

Right after the birth of her daughter, the life of Angura Bibi, a resident of Bahrampur, Murshidabad, West Bengal, changed. She was subjected to domestic violence. Physical abuse became a daily order. And finally, her husband and inlaws poured acid on her. Suffering extreme pain, being physically deformed and mentally scarred, and having no financial support, she was in the darkest zone of despair. About ` two lakhs were spent for her treatment. Life cannot be lived without livelihood. She is fighting for this fundamental right. Here, government help in securing employment is crucial.

Monika Mondal from Maheshtala, Kolkata, is another acid attack survivor. Her neighbour stole gold ornaments and money from her house to which she was the only witness. To stop her from lodging a police complaint, he threw acid on her. All that matters to her now is justice. Her case is pending at the Alipore Judicial Magistrate court. She like Angura needs help from the government. She is even unaware of the Supreme Court ruling concerning ` three lakhs worth of compensation for acid attack survivors.

Acid attacks are on the rise worldwide, especially in South Asian countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Cambodia. According to the data provided by the Acid Survivors Foundation India (ASFI), the number of acid attack victims was 80 in 2010, which rose to 130 by November 2014. This is just the recorded data- which is often conservative. Still, it gives an alarming picture of the dreadful state of affairs.

Recently, the ASFI and the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) organised a seminar on acid attack survivors. The event saw acid attack survivors coming from different parts of West Bengal and participating in the interactive sessions. Angura Bibi and Monika Mondal were part of the sessions. The event started with the welcome speech by Rahul Varma Vice Chairman, ASFI.

According to Papiya Ghosh Roy Chaudhury, Joint Secretary, Department Of Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal, the acid attack survivors should not get disheartened. She said, “Acid attack victims must consider the attack as an accident and move forward in life.” For this, they need the support of society and the government. She assured the survivors complete governmental assistance pertaining to treatments and rehabilitation.

At the seminar, Sunanda Mukherjee, Chairperson, West Bengal Commission for Women, emphasized proper implementation of women-oriented projects like Janani Suraksha Yojana. She further added “Facilities at Anwesha clinic (rural clinics for women) should be improved and an adequate number of doctors and nurses must be recruited. It should include primary treatment associated with acid attacks.”  She said that Section 326 A and B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) must be strictly executed to punish acid assaulters.

Contrary to popular conception, acid attacks are not just carried out against women. Mazrul Islam, a male acid victim from Hasanpur, Murshidabad, was attacked for monetary issues. He had lent ` 30,000 to a local jeweller. Unable to repay, the person attacked Mazrul with acid. For initial treatment, he was admitted at Murshidabad sub-divisional hospital and is now undergoing plastic surgery treatment at a private medical clinic at Kolkata. The entire cost is borne by ASFI.

The legal aspects of punitive action against attackers and compensation for survivors cannot be underemphasized. The ASFI-HRLN programme had a legal session where Apolok Basu, an advocate, answered questions of the acid survivors. Rupsa Yasmin asked why her attacker got bail after three months of police custody. Basu said, “Three months is not the punishment. The case would be pursued further.” He asked her to visit the police and Magistrate court regularly to know the status of her case. He also said that the hospital papers need to be handed over to the police for quick framing of the chargesheet.

On behalf of HRLN, Sayanti Sen Gupta put forward some suggestions making acid attacks a non- bailable offence and that the associated trail should be time bound.  She also advised that the government should regulate the sale of acid and earmarking a separate fund for assistance to acid victims.

The seminar ended with a session with police officials. Rina Sarkar, an Assistant Commissioner of police, said, “At any circumstances F.I.R. should be taken.” She asked the victims not to lose hope. The judiciary may take time but justice will not be denied.

Acid attack is barbaric. The mental trauma associated with it is immense. To stop this, a coordinated action of government and non-governmental organisations is required. Efforts such as the one initiated by the ASFI need to be replicated to fight this heinous crime.