Acid attacks know no gender. As the number of acid attacks on women escalate, an incident from Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh reaffirms our point of view that acid attacks are equally gruesome for the victim, be it a man or a woman.
The victim has lost his eyesight and is visually disabled for his life. The accused (Shahnaz) is believed to have invited Riyaz (victim) to her place and after a heated argument thrown acid on him. Riyaz is currently admitted in the hospital. It is believed that Shahnaz was adamant that Riyaz marries her in spite of being married already. Riyaz got married 10 days back. An FIR has been registered against Shahnaz based on Riyaz’s statement.
The kind of pain experienced as a result of an acid attack is unimaginable. Victims face traumatizing after-effects including, but not limited to, peeled skin, loss of eyesight and hearing, exposed bone and cartilage, fatal infections, loss of sensation, amputations, skin replacements and grafts and most of all, excruciating pain which lasts for years at an end. There has been an alarming 250% increase in the number of reported acid attack cases between 2012 and 2014.
