Strict, but slow

While stringent laws against acid attacks are in place, their implementation is still tardy

- PUJA AWASTHI

Victimhood can be addictive and its seduction enduring. We encounter it multiple times when reaching out to acid attack survivors in the hope of documenting untold stories of grit. One asks for money, another for a washing machine, and a third says that a sewing machine would suffice.

There is no denying the corrosive physical and emotional trauma of an acid attack. Imagine the sting of a burning matchstick. Multiply that a hundred times over. Add to that the disfigurement of the face and limbs, possible loss of vision and hearing. In India, 244 such attacks were reported in 2017—the latest year for which data has been released by the National Crime Records Bureau.

Acid attacks are born from animosity that could stem from rejected suitors, caste disputes and property tangles—broadly any reason that could cause ill-will between individuals. It takes many calls and multiple contacts to persuade Kavita Verma, 27, living in Lucknow’s Rajajipuram locality, to share her story. Now married and expecting her first child, Verma was attacked at the age of 22 by a much older, married man who wanted her attention. “I told people my experience and it was published in a book. The others whose stories were featured got money. I got nothing,” Verma tells THE WEEK.