Kolkata: Rinku Das, holding on to her daughter’s hand, was writhing in excruciating pain when her husband threw acid on her face following a tiff over dowry about a decade ago. Das, now in her late thirties, travels around the country, especially to states with a high incidence of acid attacks, to share her journey from trauma to empowerment.On Saturday, she was among six acid attack and burn survivors who joined cops to advise teenage girls to stay on alert and report to their family members and the police if they suspect the behaviour of someone who may turn out to be an avenger over something in the future. At an awareness campaign organised at Police Training School on Saturday, these survivors narrated their own tales of burns and warned of evil companions, who may be “invisibly on the prowl”. The message was spread out to around 200-odd students from 14 schools during the event held by Chhanv Foundation, an NGO under the guidance of Kolkata Police.“Little did I know that acid can stop the normal rhythm of one’s life. Instead of losing the battle, I started giving courage to other victims with burnt faces like that of mine,” said Das. She recounted the “darkest day of her life” in 2016 as she said, “I used to work as a domestic help. My husband was a rickshaw puller. Instigated by my mother-in-law, he used to torture me for money. His dowry torture kept inflating and ended with acid attack on me. My daughter also has burn scars on her hand. My husband is in prison and my mother-in-law was also in jail for five years,” she said.Garia resident Kakoli Sarkar (50) was set ablaze by her drunk father when she was a class XI student in 1994. She battled with 62% burns at SSKM Hospital for two months, and 15 years later, she got a new life after her marriage to a hawker in 2009. “About 32 years ago, my father returned home drunk when my mother was cooking on a stove. I tried to save my mother who was being assaulted, and that angered my father who poured kerosene on me and set me afire,” she recollected.Even as the number of acid attack incidents is fewer in Kolkata as compared with other parts of the country, city cops advised the students to remain safe from evil companions who may resort to hurling attack for retaliation over something. According to the police, the city recorded about 19-20 acid attack cases in the past 10 years.Vaibhav Tiwari, joint commissioner of police, told the audience, “We have taken several measures for the safety and security of women. Those who are weak fall prey to attackers. Acid attack does not happen all on a sudden. If you feel disturbed or threatened, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it with your families and report to the police immediately.”Ashish Shukla, executive director of the foundation, said, “We help acid attack victims overcome social stigma and lead a normal life. There should be harsher punishment for acid attackers.”
