In a shocking incident, a boy threw acid on a 17-year-old schoolgirl in Delhi’s Dwarka district on Wednesday morning. According to the reports, the incident happened around 7:30 am and the victim has been referred to Safdarjung Hospital. According to Delhi Police, it received a call regarding the incident of throwing acid on a girl in the area of PS Mohan Garden at around 9 am.
During the incident, the victim was accompanied by her younger sister when two men on a bike threw acid and fled away. Police said it sent its officers to the hospital and would brief the media about the details of the incident. As of now, police said at least one of them was arrested and a probe is underway to nab the other.
Notably, cases of acid attacks in India are frequent despite Supreme Court banning over-the-counter acid sales in 2013. According to a report by This Week in Asia, there are 250-300 acid attacks in India every year. However, the actual figure is likely higher as some incidents go unreported. While hearing a plea, the apex court termed the acid attacks “worse than murder” as there were nearly no ways left for the victim to start their career.
In 2013, India made acid attacks a specific criminal offence and later, the Supreme Court ruled that victims should receive free medical treatment and minimum compensation of Rs 3,00,000.
