Vidya is the second victim in the city to succumb to acid attack injuries. The family donated her corneas to Sankara Nethralaya
Vidya, the 21-year-old victim of an acid attack, died of injuries on Sunday at Government Kilpauk Hospital. The family donated her corneas to Sankara Nethralaya. Vidya is the second victim in the city to succumb to acid attack injuries in as many weeks. J. Vinodhini (23), a resident of Karaikal, had succumbed to wounds on February 13.
On January 30, Vidya was alone at an internet browsing centre on Tiruvalluvar Main Road in Adambakkam where she was working when S. Vijaya Bhaskar attacked her with a bottle of acid after she turned down his marriage proposal.
The accused, who was working as a catering staff in an IT company at Sholinganallur had hurled the bottle at her face, but she turned her face away. An enraged Vijaya Bhaskar pushed her down and she fell on the floor where the acid had spilled.
“As she writhed in pain, he tried to escape…but her screams attracted people from neighbouring shops. They beat him up and handed him over to the police,” her brother Vijay said.
Vidya’s father Jayaseelan died when she was seven years old.
Her mother Saraswathi is working as a domestic help. Vidya, who had been working at the centre for two years, was earning Rs. 4,000 a month and a major contributor to the family income.
As Vidya’s clothes were damaged a woman from a nearby house covered her with a sari before the victim was rushed to a private hospital and then to Government Kilpauk Hospital.
On Saturday, her condition worsened and doctors put her on ventilator. Her end came around 4.15 a.m. on Sunday, after battling for life for 25 days.
“Poor hospital hygiene”
Family members blamed the poor hospital hygiene for her death. “There is no intensive care unit. She was lying on a cot that was stained in her own pus. We had to buy a new bed sheet for her and sprayed perfume to prevent the stench,” her uncle Rajan alleged.
It was only around 11 a.m. that the post-mortem was done.
As news of her death spread, women groups gathered at the hospital’s mortuary.
The family refused to take possession of the body until government officials spoke to them.
“They have not responded to our appeal aired through media. In the case of the Delhi victim, the girl was taken to Singapore for treatment. Even in the case of Vinodhini, a Minister called on her. Nobody has come to our aid,” he said.
Finally, around 3.30 p.m., the family agreed to shift Vidya’s body to their home in Parameswari Nagar in Adambakkam. Kancheepuram Collector L. Sitherasenan visited the family later in the evening.
Keywords: Chennai acid attack, acid attack victim death, Adambakkam
As citizens why is Chennai quiet, our kids are getting attacked and we are not raising voice against it and bringing it to the attention of CM .There should,be very very serious steps announced to curb this crime.
worked as a medical intern at the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital more than 50 years ago. Burns victims died in exactly the same way as described--in their own pus!!!
Yet I read that India has a large army and navy and is a nuclear power!!!
The mind boggles!
please give death sentence to this criminal. stop selling of acids to ordinary persons.
When such attacks are repeatedly reported, there may be many attacks
not reported. Why there is a cry for abolishing capital punishment?
People who throw acid and disfigure and spoil the future of women, and
those who murder women following rape should be hanged to death, within
one or two years.
It's so sad to read news like this . The culprits doing these
kinds of things should be given grave punishment so that it will deter others from doing the same thing.
May her soul rest in peace.
Yet another victim of one brutal attack that has become a fashion for cheap retaliations.How horiible it is! I am in all tears reading the news about the sad demise of the girl.I think people now days are resorting to any kind of mean and horrible ways for satiating their revenge.How practical it is to stop this trend unless there should be a change in people's mind or there should be some control over the availability of lethal acids.
I believe it is high time that strict laws constituted to deal with this kind of horrible crimes.A death penalty may be a deterrent.People who take up acid attack,which casue greatest pain to the victim physically and mentally ,have no right to live further.
It is also wise for the fair gender not to create any situation that may lead to this kind of an undesired and nighmarish outcome.
Let us fight against acid attacks and I request The Hindu to write articles against such sort of violence.
What do all these guys who throw acid on girls want? Do they want these girls to blindly consent to what ever they say? The number of acid victims is on the rise. This calls for strict laws, proper education, inculcating values in early age. Girls too should be taught self defense ( like the young lady who sprayed pepper spray and escaped from her captors in Bangalore last week).It is really pathetic that girls should suffer for spurning a boy.
it is sad that these things do happen. While I laud several women front line initiatives and training self-defense, providing pepper sprays - the root cause for this societal disease is maniac men. I sincerely request everyone starting from the parents of the young boy - to teach them every individual has self right and one must learn to respect their opinions and feelings.
Has this scoundrel been areested?
How the parents of these scundrels educate them?
why not stop selling acids, maybe that will save the life of many girls
from the hands of these scoundrels.
There should be same punishment to the perpetrator of the acid attack.
Then only these kinds of crimes can be prevented. It may sound barbaric but in our country that should be the rule. Government should exercise complete control in the supply of acids and other hazardous materials.
There should be a system of control of acid sale or a kind of license like fire crackers and all acid sales need to be reported online to the nearest police station or a centralised police office.We should not loose any more of our girls to such kind of heinous crimes
First it was'Familiarity breeds contempt' Then it was amended in a light hearted way as
'Familiarity breeds contempt and children' But now a sinister frightening addition is being
made. Familiarity breeds contempt and children but it can also lead to acid attacks.
What is wrong with these people?? What kind of MADNESS is this?!?!
The acid attack on Vidya is sad and heart breaking. Such incidents took
place on college girls and young women in A.P also some time back.These
kinds of attacks on women are increasing all over.Government should
enforce strict laws and stern action should be implemented.A positive
outlook and change of attitude is need of the hour for the masculine
gender.May her soul rest in peace.
Most of the internet center owners are like this. They make use of school/ college students who visit there centers and exploit them. Government must 100% ensures that ID and CCTV cameras are installed in such institutions to prevent recurrence of such crimes
In any other country such acid attackers would be publicly lynched. All that this cruel murderer will get is a lifetime stay in a comfortable jail at the taxpayer's expense where he can fatten himself and gloat over his misdeed. Wonder what the votaries for the abolition of capital punishment have to say about this heartless murderer?
sick people, these morons should be in prison for life without bail.
Such heinous attacks should be treated as murder or attempted murder and the perpetrators should be treated accordingly with punishment that set an example for other would be criminals. Such criminals should be shown no mercy for scarring someone for life or causing their death due to their hateful vengeance.
DELHI - RAPE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
CHENNAI - ACID CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
next what??? Word's first unsafe country for ladies and women!
shame on India!
It is really sad.being as a girl we feel scared to go out now-a-days.some action should be taken hard to punish those ridiculous persons
The sale and possession of these chemicals has to be strictly controlled and any unauthorized possession has to be criminalized. The mind set that seems to think that anyone has a right to someone else's body and mind is simply to be rejected. Any such ideas pushed by the Cinema Crowd has to be censored out. It is time for the Society to come out of their COMA.
Those who commit such atrocities have no place in the society for the rest of their life. I do
not condone capital punishment. But, the culprit must be kept in jail for the rest of his/ her
life! Many are psychopaths and Sociopaths with a streak of sadism! They are a serious risk
to members of the society!
Please Email the Editor