Jalandhar: 10 days on, acid attack accused not arrested yet

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 29

Ten days after a 37-year old tailoress, Dalbir Kaur, from Dayalpur village suffered a gruesome acid attack at his boutique, the accused continues to be at large.

An FIR was registered against the accused, Avinash Kumar, who allegedly stalked and harassed Dalbir Kuar for months before attacking her, at the Subhanpur police station under Section 326 of the IPC.

The woman had complained to the panchayat about the accused, Avinash Kumar, alias Kali (55), a resident of the same village, and refused repeated overtures made by him.

However, on June 20, he allegedly barged into the shop where she works, pressured her to marry him and on being refused, threw acid on her face and on the clothes kept in her tailor shop to be stitched. He also allegedly snatched away her mobile phone.

With half her face, her bosom and back defaced by the acid, the woman now is undergoing treatment at a local hospital. The village panchayat, under sarpanch Harjinder Singh Raja, is pooling in money for the treatment of Dalbir.

Speaking to The Tribune, the victim said: “For the past three to four months he had been chasing me and making overtures. He even threatened to kill me if I didn’t listen to him. I formally got a ‘razinama’ (compromise) through panchayat that he wouldn’t harass me anymore. But on June 20, he barged into my shop and threw acid all over my face.”

Dalbir’s husband is an alcoholic and contributes nothing for family. The tailor shop was the sole source of livelihood for the family.

Dalbir said, “All the clothes of my clients have been burnt, my hard work of my past four months reduced to nought. I can’t sleep worrying whether we will get any money from my treatment. I am scarred for life.”

Doctor treating Dalbir said she was under immense trauma. They said her face, bosom and back had been burnt and skin was peeling off and it would take months before surgeries could be performed to slowly restore her face.

SHO Shubhanpur police station, Harjit Singh said, “We have raised all through the village and the man’s relatives. He has fled from the village and his phone was last traced to outside the village. We are trying to determine the location of the culprit and hope he will be caught soon.”

Panchayat ‘intervened’ to help victim

• The woman, who runs a boutique, is a resident of Dayalpur village. She had complained about the harassment from the accused many a time and also approached the panchayat
• A ‘razinama’ was reached in March on the day of the Holi and the man was asked not to pester her anymore. The woman, however, said the man didn't stop his advances and attacked her with acid on June 20

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