“If we knew who did this we will kill them. The laws and rules can wait … these men deserve to die,” said family members of the four sisters, who were injured in an acid attack in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday evening while on their way back home from school.
While three of the sisters suffered only minor injuries, one of them, Isha Khan — who has been admitted to Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital — suffered extensive injuries to the eyes, face, neck and chest.
“Isha was brought to us late last evening with extensive burns injuries. The skin on her eyelids, face, neck and chest has melted because of the acid attack and her left eye has serious injuries. Her vision in this eye is seriously impaired and today [Wednesday] the doctor performed a surgical procedure to help the eye recover. We still have to wait and see how it will work out. We are also treating the patient with antibiotics to ensure that no infection sets in,” said chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at SGRH Dr. Mahesh Mangal.
He added that Isha’s relatives told them Isha was attacked when she, along with her three sisters, was coming back home after carrying out invigilation duties at a school for board examinations.
A relative who accompanied Isha and her mother to the Delhi hospital said: “The girls lost their father some time back. We are not sure who the attackers were. If we knew or had any idea we would kill them without question. The other girls, who have suffered lesser injuries compared to Isha, told us that the attack happened very suddenly.”
“The girls [one of them is a student] were walking back home together when two men on a motorbike splashed acid on them on Tuesday evening. The incident happened in the Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh. The girls said that the men made some lewd remarks and then threw acid on them,” said Isha’s uncle, who did not wish to be named, as he waited outside her ward at the hospital. He added that so far the U.P. police had not informed the family of any arrests.
Strict measures
Meanwhile, women activists and campaign groups working for acid attack victims have demanded that the government bring in stricter measures to ensure that more women don’t fall prey to acid attacks.
