Acid attack victim speaks, rues her silence on stalking

New Delhi, Jan 15: Breaking her silence for the first time since the horrific incident, the Srinagar’s acid attack victim said she “should have lodged complaint against the stalker earlier.”

“I rue why I didn’t lodge a complaint with police earlier,” she told Greater Kashmir at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital here, where she is undergoing specialized treatment.

Recalling the horrific incident, the 30-year-old victim said the attacker had been stalking her for quite some time but she did not report the incident to police, fearing that it “will bring them bad name in the society.”

The victim, who was attacked in Srinagar’s Parraypora area on past, said she is hopeful to see properly through the affected eye. “I am thankful to the state government for extending help to me and shifting me to the Apollo Hospital,” she said. “I hope I am able to see again properly through the affected eye after undergoing necessary treatment.”

Meanwhile, the victim is ‘responding well’ to the treatment, doctors said. They also said her condition is being “closely monitored.”

According to the medicos looking after her, the 30-year-old victim “is showing signs of improvement with regard to burn injuries on her face, although her left eye is badly affected.” “She has lost 80 per cent visibility in the affected eye,” they said.

According to victim’s family members, a decision with regard to her plastic surgery would be taken in next few days. “They (doctors) told us that the decision on plastic surgery would be taken after three to four days after closely monitoring her condition,” the victim’s brother-in-law, Nazir Ahmed told Greater Kashmir.

The family lauded the efforts of police, particularly Senior Superintendent of Police (Srinagar), Syed Ashiq Bhukhari for his “swift action” in the case which resulted in the arrest of the culprit within an hour of the incident.

In Delhi, the victim’s family has been provided boarding and lodging facilities in JK House while a liason officer is taking care of their requirements.

Dr Samir Kaul, senior surgeon at the Apollo Hospital, who is personally monitoring the victim’s condition, said that she is responding well to the treatment. “The situation will be clear within a week on further treatment,” he said. Dr Kaul has also offered to bear all treatment expenses of the victim.

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SA/EN