Teen suffers burns in acid attack in Delhi, three arrested

The girl suffered 7-8% facial burns and her eyes have also been affected after an acid-like substance was thrown at her by two bike riders in Delhi

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Two bike riders attacked a 17-year-old girl with an acid-like substance near Dwarka Mor on December 14, police said. The victim has been admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. Three men have been arrested in this connection, police said.

They are currently being interrogated to ascertain the motive behind the attack, they said.

According to a doctor at Safdarjung Hospital, she suffered 7-8% facial burns and her eyes have also been affected. She is being examined and is admitted to the burns ICU ward and is stable. Police said one of the alleged culprits has been detained.

According to police, a PCR call was received at around 9 a.m. regarding the victim being attacked in Mohan Garden area.

“It was stated that a girl aged 17 years was allegedly attacked with some acid-like substance by two persons on a bike around 7.30 a.m. this morning,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M. Harsha Vardhan.

“The victim was with her younger sister at the time of the incident,” the officer said. He said the victim and her sister were waiting for her friend at the metro station when the attack took place.

According to police, CCTV footage of the incident has captured two people, who have covered their faces. “The girl has named two persons who could be responsible for the attack, one of whom has been detained by police,” the DCP added.

Victim’s father said, “my daughter left home at 7.30 a.m., as soon as she crossed our street within six-seven minutes, the incident happened, my youngest daughter had gone along with her, then she came running to us, she told us that two men, who had covered their faces came on a bike, threw acid at her elder sister and ran away

In a post on Twitter, Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal demanded justice for the school-going girl and criticised the government for not being able to enforce the ban on the over-the-counter sale of acid in the country.

"Acid was thrown at a school girl near Dwarka Mor. Our team is reaching the hospital to help the victim. Will get justice for the daughter. The Delhi Commission for Women has been fighting for years to ban acid in the country. When will the government wake up?" she wrote in a tweet in Hindi.

Aam Aadmi Party National Spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj also raised concerns over the “increasing” rate of crime in the national capital.

"LG Saab, you have Delhi Police and crime is increasing every day. Instead of interfering in the work of the Delhi government, you should concentrate on your work. After your arrival, crimes are increasing in Delhi," he tweeted in Hindi.

Give ‘strictest punishment’ to acid attackers: Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded stringent punishment for those involved in throwing acid on a minor girl in west Delhi and asserted that the government is concerned about every child in the city.

In a tweet, Mr. Kejriwal said: “This cannot be tolerated at all. How did the accused gather so much courage? The accused should be given the strictest punishment. The safety of every girl child in Delhi is important to us.”

(With inputs from PTI)