Date:08/05/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/05/08/stories/2004050814580300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Making life hell in the name of love

THE ACID attack on a beautician in Hebbal police station limits on Tuesday has once again shown how women are becoming hapless victims of such attacks. In the past few years, at least five women have been attacked with acid, and there has been a pattern.

In all the cases, those who poured acid on the women were known to the victims and had attacked them for rejecting marriage proposals. The victims who suffered severe burns are suffering and their families are finding it hard to meet the medical expenses.

Jacqueline Asha (27) was returning home after closing her beauty parlour in R.T. Nagar when one of her acquaintances, Sanjeev, allegedly splashed acid on her for refusing to marry him. Asha, who suffered burns on the face, neck, chest, and back, is now in hospital.

On April 20, 1999, Joseph Rodrigues allegedly poured acid on Haseena (22), who was earlier employed in his computer centre after she spurned him. After a long trial, on Thursday, the 10th Additional Sessions Court sentenced Rodrigues to five years and three months rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs. 3 lakh.

However, the most shocking of such incidents was reported in September 2002 when Rajesh (17) reportedly threw acid on 16-year-old Shruti in J.P. Nagar police station limits. Rajesh was pestering Shruti to love him.

In November 2001, a young woman who was employed as a singer at a live-band joint refused to go with a customer. While she was returning home, he poured acid on her in HAL police station limits.

In another incident, Noorjahan, a mother of three, was soaked in acid for spurning the advances of the owner of a chemical factory from where she used to fetch water for her canteen daily.

After the attack on Shruti, the then City Police Commissioner, H.T. Sangliana, passed orders banning the sale of acids to youth. His successor, M.D. Singh, too had strictly warned those selling acids to refrain from providing such chemicals to youngsters without ascertaining their identity. Despite the ban, there are many sources from which one can procure acids.