mid-day editorial: An acid test for the entire nation

The Mumbai Sessions court, yesterday, convicted Ankur Pan­war for the murder of Delhi resident Preeti Rathi in May 2013. The sentencing is expected today. Three years ago, Rathi had come to Mumbai from Delhi. She was doing well in her career after being selected as a lieutenant nurse in the Indian Navy. On her first day of work, her neighbour, Panwar threw acid on her.

Acid attacks mostly result in disfigurement, but it may cause death too, as happened in Rathi's case. But even death might be an easier punishment for survivors of acid attacks. Experts who work towards rehabilitating such survivors say there are families which have completely removed mirrors from their homes. So, there are survivors who haven't faced a mirror in a decade.

Perhaps it's time we make acid difficult to procure. Buyers should be asked to register their identification details so that tracing a person who might use it for a wrong deed is easier. Incidentally, majority of acid attack survivors are women. In Rathi's case, the cause behind the attack was jealousy. But often jilted or delusional lovers find such attacks as the only way of "getting back" at others.

Men must realize that a woman is never bound to accept you. Rejection may bruise the ego, but throwing acid on her is a despicable reaction. Women have the right to say ‘no'.

Harsher punishments must be awarded to such attackers. Also, the government should compensate the survivor adequately as, often, they need to undergo around 50 surgeries. There should also be extensive counseling for survivors and families and an effort to reintegrate the former into the mainstream. The acid attack battle is a multi-pronged one and needs to be fought on different fronts to bring some amount of closure to the survivor and a sense of justice to all those who suffer along with her.