Scared for life: Heinous crime against women

By Y. Maheswara Reddy | NT

Acid attack is one of the most heinous crimes against women, because the victim suffers severe pain, permanent disfigurement, infections and is also psychologically scarred for the rest of her life. In most acid attacks the victim’s face is the worst-hit and often suffers permanent loss of vision.

Though acid victims survive, most of them lead a traumatised existence for the rest of life. Not many acid victims are able to afford a plastic surgery, and hence they prefer to keep a low profile and a secluded life.

In the latest such incident in the city, a 24-year-old woman on Thursday suffered an acid attack by her spurned lover at Sunkadakatte in Bengaluru North. This brazen attack has shocked many women activists in the city.

The woman is currently battling for her life at a city hospital, while the police have formed special teams to nab the accused. Women activists demand the government should not show any mercy while punishing the guilty.

“Acid attack on women is the most heinous crime against women. I want the government to punish the guilty with death penalty. The penalty should deter or frighten others even to think of attacking women with acid,” said Tejaswini Gowda, a journalist-turned-politician.

Acid attacks on hapless women are taking place in Bengaluru. The shocking news is that acid is available at hardware shops. The accused persons are using the acid, available at paint shops used for cleaning toilets, to attack women.

“I demand the government to punish the manufacturers of acid that was used by the accused Nagesh, a garment worker, to attack the 24-year old woman working at a private firm. I know that acid used to clean toilets was used to attack women in previous incidents. I came to know the acid used to attack the 24-year-old-woman was very dangerous and injurious. The authorities should take measures to stop the chemical companies manufacturing such acid,” opines Karnataka State Commission for Women chairman Pramila Naidu.

Arun Prasad, a social activist, wants the state government to implement the directions of the Supreme Court in Writ Petition (Criminal) 129/2006 based on which the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued advisory to all the state chief secretaries for measures to be taken to prevent acid attack on people and treatment and rehabilitation of survivors for speedy expediting of cases of acid attack on women.

“Apart from IPC 326A & 326B in Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013, we also request the Government of India to include Section 354(5) of Criminal Code of Procedure 1973 Hanging By Neck Till Death as throwing acid on women is an extremely heinous offence,’’ said Arun Prasad.

Expressing the similar opinion, Pramila Naidu said she will be writing a letter to the government to amend the Section 326A of the Indian Penal Code converting the life imprisonment to death penalty for those found guilty of acid attack cases. “I am not enhancing the financial assistance for acid attack victims. What is the use of money when acid attack vict i m s c a n n o t lead the life like normal women? Who are these men (who are involved in acid attacks) to ruin the lives of women? I want strict punishment for the people found guilty in acid attack cases,” she said.

While no case of acid attack on women was reported in the city in 2015, one case reported in 2016, four in 2017 and two in 2018, and five in 2019, one in 2020, and one till April 2022. The state government has hiked pension to the acid victims from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000 from April 2022.

Meanwhile, KFDC Director Bhagyavathy Amaresh has demanded the government to seize immovable and movable property of the guilty and transfer it to the acid victims, apart from severe punishment.