A 16-year-old girl was allegedly force-fed a “corrosive liquid” by two boys outside her school in Kalkaji on Wednesday.
The mother of the victim has told the police that the accused had stalked her in the past.
“She is unaware about their identities. On Wednesday, they confronted her and made her consume a yellow-coloured liquid. The girl started vomiting, and fell unconscious,” says the mother.
A passerby saw the name of the school on her uniform, and rushed her to the institution.
Negligence? “Teachers at the school rushed her to nearby Shivam Clinic around 10 a.m. It took another hour for the school to inform us, that too when the payment had to be made. They even initially told us that she had a gastric problem,” says the mother.
Doctors at Safdarjung Hospital, where the girl is currently admitted, say the incident has left her with acute respiratory problems. The hospital’s Medical Superintendent, A.K. Rai, has told The Hindu that the victim has been put on a non-invasive ventilator.
The family further claims that the girl has been left with blisters on her tongue and vocal cord. The police say there are no external injuries, and it is unlikely that the liquid was acidic.
A case of acid attack has been registered, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) M.S. Randhawa.
Loopholes? Mr. Randhawa, however, says they have gathered a CCTV footage which contradicts the version of the incident narrated by the family. He says they are waiting for the girl’s statements to ascertain them.
Mr. Randhawa further says they are not ruling out the possibility of the girl having consumed the liquid herself.
Another police officer says the girl was taken to the clinic by the mother herself and that she was rushed to the hospital only after two hours.
