Deoria woman critical after acid attack; friend injured

Two women in their 20s were attacked with acid by an alleged stalker and his accomplices in Deoria district. One victim suffered deep burns. Accused arrested.

A woman suffered deep burn injuries on her face and neck after her alleged stalker and two of his accomplices threw acid on her, in Deoria district on Thursday. Another woman, said to be her friend who was with her, suffered minor burn injuries on her right arm, police officials said.

A police official privy to the investigation said the two women worked in a private hospital and the incident took place when they were cycling to work around 11 am on Thursday. He said the three attackers riding a motorcycle attacked them on Gauri Bazar-Hatta Road and fled.

Both women, who are in their early 20s, were undergoing treatment at Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur, they added.

Hours after the incident, police claimed to have arrested the key accused and one of his accomplices after an exchange of fire. The other accused was still at large.

Deoria superintendent of police (SP) Sankalp Sharma said the initial investigation hinted at personal enmity between one of the women and the assailants. While accused Dara Singh (40) and Shekhar Kumar (35) had been arrested, efforts were on to arrest their accomplice Akash Nishad, who managed to escape during the police encounter, the SP added.

Sharma said Indian Penal Code section 326-A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc.) had been slapped on the accused. Those found guilty under this section are awarded imprisonment of at least ten years but may extend to life, and fine.

Another police official privy to the investigation said the two women worked in a private hospital and the incident took place when they were cycling to their workplace around 11 am. He said the three attackers riding a motorcycle attacked them on Gauri Bazar-Hatta Road and fled.

The ongoing police investigation also hinted that the key accused could have been stalking the complainant’s daughter.

He said doctors at the BRD Medical College told police that the first victim suffered around 20 per cent burn injuries and her tissues were badly damaged. He said the second victim suffered minor injuries on her right arm and her condition was stable.

He said the father of the first victim mentioned in the FIR that the main accused Dara Singh was from his village and had personal enmity with his family.