MEERUT: Roshni (name changed) was 15 when her life was ruined by a man who threw acid on her for breaking off their engagement. She lost an eye and her face was disfigured. It was 1997. What followed were years of pain and trauma, along with a series of corrective surgeries amid huge financial distress. Now, after 28 years of wait, Roshni, 43, received Rs 5 lakh in “compensation” — Rs 1 lakh from PM’s National Relief Fund and Rs 4 lakh from UP govt, reports Sandeep Rai.“That the interim compensation was released after 28 years shows the fragile state of affairs. Her monthly expenses on medicines and psychological therapy is close to Rs 10,000…” said Shaheen Malik, herself an acid attack survivor who had been fighting Roshni’s case since last year. She plans to move HC to seek “adequate compensation”.
Survivor plans to move HC to get ‘adequate compensation’
On Oct 28, 1997, Roshni was attacked at her Shahjahanpur home. She suffered extensive burns to her face, head and neck, resulting in almost 45% permanent physical disability. Thereafter, costly medicines and surgeries took a heavy financial toll on her family. “My father was a tailor and mother a housewife. My family was totally shattered; I was bedridden for two years. They exhausted all their savings and had to depend on community donations for my treatment... The surgeries cost over Rs 10 lakh,” Roshni said.Her trauma wasn’t just about the scars, anxiety and depression. In the next few years, she lost her parents, while her siblings moved on with their lives, leaving her all by herself.“My father passed away a few years later and my mother had to do odd jobs to keep me alive. The cost of medicines was enormous. Sadly, my mother died about eight years ago. I’m currently jobless and my frailty refuses to go away,” added Roshni, who also did odd jobs at various houses and later resorted to work on sarees, largely patchwork, from home.It was only last year that she found active support from Malik’s Delhi-based NGO Brave Souls Foundation. “Unfortunately, back in the 90s, the survivor’s family had little awareness about compensation. The prolonged delay in granting financial support reflects authorities’ lack of responsibility and accountability. Despite having knowledge of the gruesome attack, they left the victim unaware of available schemes and procedures,” Malik said. Roshni currently stays at a women’s shelter run by the NGO.“After 28 years of spending lakhs on her treatment, she got Rs 5 lakh. We are in the process of filing a suit to get her at least Rs 50 lakh,” Malik said. Officials from Shahjahanpur administration were unavailable for comment.
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