NEW DELHI: Three men were arrested for attacking a 17-year-old girl with acid in west Delhi on Wednesday, said police. The incident sent shockwaves across the country evoking angry reactions.
A 17-year-old girl, on her way to school, was allegedly attacked with some acid-like substance by two motorcycle-borne men causing severe burn injuries to the victim on her face, forehead, and eyes.
L-G V K Saxena spoke to Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora about the unfortunate incident and sought a detailed report into it, including as to how the acid used was procured despite a ban in the city. The police during a media briefing clarified that the acid with which the girl was attacked was procured from the e-commerce company Flipkart. Saxena instructed the police for a thorough investigation so as to ensure exemplary punishment for the guilty. The police cracked the case within 10 hours and arrested the three accused including the prime accused Sachin Arora (20), who threw acid on the victim.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed the incident as completely intolerable. “This cannot be tolerated at all. How did the criminals get so much courage? The criminals should be given the strictest punishment,” he said. BJP MP Gautam Gambhir said the accused who threw acid should be publicly executed by the authorities. “We have to instil fear of immeasurable pain in these animals,” he said.
Parents recall horror
The father of the victim said the incident happened just minutes after both his daughters left for school.
“My younger daughter said that two people on a motorcycle threw acid on her sister. I immediately rushed to see her,” said the father. He added that both his daughters used to go to school using the metro. “I would have accompanied her till school if I knew that she was in danger,” he said.
‘Unregulated acid sale’
The NCW is concerned with the “unregulated sale of acid” due to which such crimes remain unabated. It constituted a 4-member team that visited the victim at Safdarjung Hospital.
DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal sent a notice to the Home Department saying that acid is freely available across Delhi.
“It is very unfortunate that despite repetitive recommendations, the retail sale of acid is not banned. Acid is being sold openly in the market. It is as easy to obtain acid as it is to purchase vegetables!,” she said.