Rape survivor faces 4th acid attack in UP

Lucknow: A 35-year-old gang-rape survivor was attacked with acid for the fourth time in Lucknow on Saturday night. She has faced three acid attacks in the past for pursuing court cases against two men who allegedly gang-raped her in 2008. The accused were arrested for the crime but later released on bail.

Acid was thrown at the woman when she stepped out of her hostel around 9.p.m to get water. The attack took place despite her getting round-the-clock police protection and an armed guard inside the hostel. Sandeep Singh, an armed constable deployed by the state government for her security, was in the waiting hall of the hostel during the incident.

Aliganj circle officer Vivek Tripathi said video footage from cameras installed at the hostel and commercial establishments in the area were being scanned to identify the accused.

The incident took place less than three months after the suspected rapists allegedly forced her to drink acid on train while she was travelling from her hometown, Rae Bareli, to Lucknow because she refused to withdraw her complaints against them.

Earlier, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath even visited her in hospital and promised her security. Reports say the victim was gang-raped in 2008 and the first acid attack on her took place in 2011. She was then stabbed in 2012 and faced another acid attack in 2013 and in March, this year.

The woman works at the Sheroes café run by acid attack survivors and is from Rae Bareli where her husband lives with their two daughters. Her family has had a long-standing land dispute with the family of the accused.

The victim, during the Saturday acid attack, suffered burn injuries on the right side of her face and shoulder. She was admitted to the trauma centre of the King George’s Medical University.

The Rae Bareli police have detained Bhondu Singh and Guddu Singh, the two men accused of gangraping her and carrying out the acid attacks on her. The two were arrested late on Saturday night.

ADG Abhay Misra said that the police had been instructed to take prompt action in the case. UP minister for women welfare Rita Bahuguna Joshi termed the incident as unfortunate and assured a thorough probe and action against the accused.