Srinagar Acid Attack: A Brief Analysis of acid attacks on Women

Ground Report | New Delhi: Srinagar Acid Attack; Tuesday evening came as a shocker for the residents of the Downtown area of Srinagar. A 24-year - old girl was attacked by acid. The girl belonging to the Wantpora area of Hawal is left with severe injuries to her face. According to reports the accused stalked the girl as he was having an interest in her. However, the girl refused his proposal. This angered the accused who started noting her activities and followed her timings.

 The main accused has been identified as Sajid Altaf Rather S/o Mohammad Altaf Rather R/o Dalgate. The accused was working for a medical shop. However, on Tuesday evening, he took an early leave from the shop and went after the girl with another accused identified as Momin Nazir Sheikh R/o Nazir Ahmed Sheikh R/o Mehjoor Nagar.  They both followed the victim on a scooty and threw acid on her and ran away. The accused went back to his shop. Both of the accused have been arrested by the police.

After initial investigations, it also came to light that the accused purchased the acid from Mohammad Saleem R/o Padshahi Bagh, who works as a mechanic and was known to the accused. He was also arrested and his workshop and another shop were sealed as they violated the Supreme Court's guidelines.

The incident triggered a violent reaction from all across the Union territory. People immediately took to the streets and social media demanding stringent and capital punishment for the accused.

However, this is not the first incident of such a nature. Last year a similar incident happened in the Shopian district of the UT as well.

Groundreport.in got in touch with some girls regards to the recent acid attack and here is what they had to say

"As a girl it is victimising, barbaric and puts us under immense pressure and paranoia to live our lives normally as a part of the community. It takes time to absorb we are not safe even at the hands of our own people, as girls our atrocity is doubled than men. We are soft targets because of our gender." "Teach men and women to respect all, and if you feel "powerful" because of any reason you are equally responsible for your actions."

Girl Student from Srinagar, Hina Khan (name changed)

A woman on grounds of anonymity said, "Acid attacks are a blend of patriarchy, misogyny and jealousy. They are an illusion of control, if I may say so."

This one statement has covered up the deep roots of the embedded culture here in Kashmir. It is worth mentioning that acid attacks are termed as a crime of passion because the main reasons that trigger these attacks are often cited as that of ' rejection', which often hurts the male ego and as a result of vengeance and jealousy they resort to this heinous crime.

"Culprit should be given the same punishment so that such incidents will not happen again." When asked how she feels as a girl, Seerat replied, "Obviously insecure. Rejecting a proposal or any other thing doesn't mean you will throw acid on a person's face. You have a right to live. You have every right to take decisions for yourself."

Seerat Nissar, a student of the University of Kashmir

"I feel that men with such tendencies and mentalities should be punished stringently. The suffering of that girl is unimaginable. Acid should be banned completely." She added, "I just am not in a right state of mind, this crime should not be forgiven at any cost."

Sabreen Ashraf, Another Universty studnet

"Hang the culprits. It's high time that an example is set. We as a society are stooping very low and this incident is a reminder of that." " It's time we say 'betay ko samjhaaw' rather than 'beti bachao'," urged Nasir.

Nasir Ahmed a resident of Kulgam

A mother of two girls has an appeal for the authorities and the law, " I appeal the lawyers that no one should come forward to represent the accused. The accused should not be given any chance to represent their case. They don't deserve it." Adding on, "The case should be the last of its kind here. I as a mother of two daughters am requesting the authorities to hang the culprits. I want every woman, every girl to feel safe."

Shabnum

"Acid should be thrown on the culprits so that they feel the same pain. Let the culprits be subjected to the same suffering as the victims. Let's set an example."

Ayaan Rather

Groundreport.in tried to follow a timeline of such events.

A Timeline Of Known Acid Attacks

• 1. On January 2, 2013, a 34 years old school teacher was subjected to an acid attack in the Baghat area of Srinagar district. The accused were identified as Reyaz Ahmad Nath and Mudasir Ahmed. The woman suffered from burn injuries to her face and arm. The attack was carried out to jeopardise the woman's marriage prospects.

• 2. On December 11, 2014, a law student was attacked with acid in Nowhere. The girl was outside her college Kashmir Law College at the time of the attack. The accused were in a car. The accused were identified as Irshad Ahmed and Mohammad Omar.  Irshad the main accused carried out the attack after the victim had turned down his marriage proposal.

• 3. On October 5, 2021, a 17 years old school student was attacked with acid, leaving her severely injured. The incident took place in the Kral-Chak area of the Shopian district in South Kashmir. The identity of the accused was not disclosed, however, he was arrested.

However, these are some of the known incidents that have happened over the years in Kashmir. But what is worth mentioning here is that the recent incident of Hawal has sent an alarming bell to society as the crimes against women are rising. It has once again raised the question of the safety of women in society. Not just in Kashmir but worldwide crimes against women are on rising. It has once again raised eyebrows about the embedded dark human nature.

Legal definition of an acid attack

The concept of Acid Attacks and Acid is defined by the "Prevention of Offences (by Acids) Act 2008" (National Commission for Woman - Draft Bill).

According to Section 3 of the Act, "acid" refers to any material that has an acidic, corrosive, or burning tendency and is capable of producing bodily harm such as scarring, deformity, or temporary or permanent incapacity. Any act of throwing acid or employing acid in any form on the victim with the goal of or knowledge that such person is likely to cause permanent or partial damage, deformity, or disfiguration to any portion of the victim's body is referred to as an "acid attack."

Under Explanation 1 of Section 326B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, as amended by the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, acid is defined as: "any material with an acidic, corrosive, or scorching nature capable of causing bodily harm, scarring, disfigurement, or temporary or permanent incapacity."

Acid attack, according to the National Commission of India, is defined as "any act of throwing acid or using acid in any form on the victim with the intention of or knowledge that such person is likely to cause permanent or partial damage, deformity, or disfiguration to any part of such person's body."

Laws Related to Acid Attack

There was no separate legislation in India to deal with acid attacks prior to the passing of The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act. 2013. The offence was recorded under sections 320, 322, 325, 326, and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (I.P.C).

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2013 amended the Indian Penal Code, 1860, by adding Sections 326A and 326B, which included specific protections for acid attack victims. Offenders convicted under these sections face a minimum term of 10 years in prison, with the possibility of a life sentence, as well as a monetary fine to reimburse the victim's medical expenses.

The Eighteenth Law Commission, chaired by Justice A. R. Lakshaman, drafted Section 326 A of the Indian Penal Code which says it is illegal to hurl, administer, or attempt to hurl acid on anyone, regardless of gender, with the goal to permanently or partially disfigure or maim that person. The following section, Section 326B, makes it illegal to hurl or administer acid to anyone.

Kashmir has often been referred to as "Raeshwaer" and it is high time that such people are punished and justice is served. There is no place no reason no excuses for spoiling lives. No reasons should be heard, nothing should be pleaded. The rules need to be changed because for a girl it is not a momentary pain, but a pain for her whole life. It's high time the changes are made. The sufferings need to end here.

You can connect with Ground Report on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Whatsapp and Subscribe to our YouTube channel. For suggestions and writeups mail us at [email protected] Srinagar Acid Attack

ALSO READ: What is Wordle? How to play and win the internet’s latest game obsession

ALSO READ: Coke Studios Kana Yaari song with Lyrics