Srinagar acid victim unlikely to regain eyesight

Srinagar, Feb 3: Widespread protests against the acid attack on a 24-year old woman in Srinagar city continued on Thursday as reports said the victim is unlikely to regain her eyesight. The victim belongs to a poor family of old city Srinagar. Her father is a tailor and to support her family, she started working at a beauty parlour a few years ago.

The family has said they cannot afford the huge expanses required for the plastic surgery needed to restore her disfigured face. Police has promptly arrested the culprit and his two accomplices. He had been trolling the victim after she reportedly turned down his engagement proposal.

The ease and the demonic intend with which the culprit succeeded in dealing a blow far more serious than murder to the victim has shaken the conscience of every Kashmiri. Fathers of girls at marriageable age are shocked beyond words. "If predators like the culprit move freely in our society then it might be impossible for our daughters to live a normal life", said the father of three daughters who lives some distance away from the victim's home.

Unmatched in its severity, the acid attack on the woman is an eye-opener for every local. Where mosques are overcrowded on Fridays and religious preachers are aplenty, how can such heinous crimes against humanity be committed? That is something both the local religious and political leaders need to ponder.

The acid attack incident of February 1, 2022 is the third such attack that occurred in J&K during the last 4 months. In October last year, two youths were attacked with acid near the bus stand in Poonch town of Jammu division. The same month, a girl was attacked with acid in south Kashmir Shopian district.