A Supreme Court ruling and punitive regulations are no deterrent to acid sales. The same holds for swords and daggers, proscribed by law.
Six months ago, a 17-year-old girl living in Delhi's crowded Nawada neighbourhood decided to block her 20-year-old neighbour on social media. “He was trying to be too friendly. I did not approve of his advances. So I blocked him.”
The girl, who asked for anonymity fearing social stigma, thought the man would retreat after she blocked him. Little did she know that over the next three months, he was plotting revenge along with two of his friends.
On a cold smoggy morning on 7 December, he attacked her with acid as she was leaving for school. Her face and eyes …
Srishti is an award-winning independent journalist based in India. She has written on a variety of subjects, such as politics, tech, rural connectivity, maternal health, human rights, and governance for national and international publications including The Caravan, Newslaundry, Vice World News and Al Jazeera.
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