another acid victim in Tamilnadu ~ accepting 'no' as an answer

A few days earlier, I had posted with deep and anguish on the sad death of Vinodhini falling victim to the acid attack. Vinodhini, a 23-year-old girl, had suffered grievous burns three months ago in an acid attack by a man whose advances she had rejected. It was a  heart-rending story which made us feel desolate and  which any civilized Society should ensure would never get repeated.

The news following that makes me reiterate that there is no point in telling that in a civilized society, one should reform criminals; first hand over the perpetrators the highest punishment – some advocate capital punishment; put them to solitary confinement; Outcast them and make them repent for rest of their life; take away their property – there should be no place for animals in any society.  

Distraught to read that a second woman died of injuries sustained in an acid attack in Chennai in less than a fortnight, her vital organs collapsing due to infection from fourth degree burns after an obsessed animal  attempted to kill her on January 30. Vidya, the 21-year-old victim of an acid attack, died of injuries at Government Kilpauk Hospital. The family donated her corneas to Sankara Nethralaya. On January 30, Vidya was alone at an internet browsing centre on Tiruvalluvar Main Road in Adambakkam where she was working when S. Vijaya Bhaskar attacked her with a bottle of acid after she turned down his marriage proposal. The accused, who was working as a catering staff in an IT company at Sholinganallur had hurled the bottle at her face, but she turned her face away. An enraged Vijaya Bhaskar pushed her down and she fell on the floor where the acid had spilled.

Vidya writhed in pain, her screams attracted people nearby who caught and beat up the assailant and later handed him over to Police.  The victim is poor and her mother was a domestic help. Another family’s dream lay shattered by the inhumane animal. Should the Society protect such animals in the garb of human rights – and who would fight for the human rights of Vidya and Vinodhini.

Police initially registered a case an attempt to murder against Bhaskar which has now turned into a case of murder. Acid attacks are being reported, to the embarrassment of the Tamil Nadu police, with alarming regularity from across the state.

Now there is debate on FM and other platforms with many voicing that State should regulate the sale of chemicals ~ does not sound sense to me…… acids are required for some other purpose including cleaning toilets, not to be thrown on men. Step into any hardware store in the city, you will find bottles of the highly-corrosive liquid lining the shelves, and they come cheap. They are used in households, hotels, workshops and by goldsmiths for cleaning purposes. Other businesses too use them.  No doubt there is no procedure  on licensing, storage, distribution or sale now; but would that alter the Society and curb the attacks, I tend to disagree. 

Chennai is not known for use of fire arms, but in Tamilnadu murders do take place with alarming frequency, with sickles, knives, country bombs  and whatever being used as weapons of killing.  It is not surprising, therefore, that some view  the proposed legislation for curbing the sale of acid  as only an immediate gesture and not the real panacea to the problem.

Acid violence is not an ordinary crime, the perpetrator must be punished most harshly instilling a fear in the mind of others.  In some ways they are gender based too, like dowry deaths. Some statistics reveal that hundreds of acid attacks do occur and they are alarmingly high in Bangladesh, Cambodia and other countries. 

The past couple of generations have learnt and lived by cinema where women are eternally objects of beauty.  At the core of the problem is the male mindset, say police officials, advocates, medical professionals and psychological counsellors in the city.  There is the  Indian obsession of beautiful women portrayed as everything including sale of products exclusively used by men.  In some ways, the attack is prompted by the ugly male dominance that a love spurned is revenged by spoiling the very feature of attraction – the beauty.  It is the intolerance of a weaker mind, which cannot accept a ‘no’ as an answer.   As rightly put in IE,   “In a fight between two men, other weapons are used to kill,” “but in using acid against a woman, the intention is to disfigure her permanently.”

It is a living hell for the victim. Besides causing gruelling physical pain, the acid penetrates deep into the skin, damaging the eyes and nose, leaving the victim looking grotesque. “The soft tissues are eaten away and the nerves below get exposed, making the patient highly vulnerable to bacterial infection,” ~ added to that is the intense mental depression that sets in.

Such cruel animals who cause harm to others have no place to live in a civilized society and must be handed down most stringent punishment immediately……. For the future, sow the seeds of equality in the minds of every male child and ensure that taking ‘no’ for an answer reflects not just maturity, but also respect, affection and love  for the other person and proper grooming.”  Cinema heroes only get loved by dozens and pick up the girl of their choice ~ life is always different

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

28^th Feb 2013.