New Delhi: In a narrow lane in northeast Delhi’s Indira Vihar, the curtains of two houses facing each other remained drawn on Wednesday. One belongs to a 21-year-old woman who was attacked with acid a day earlier. The other is the home of the 26-year-old alleged aggressor, who was reportedly in a relationship with the survivor’s fiancé.Inside the home of the 21-year-old woman, outfits stitched for a joint wedding next Sunday — of her and her elder sister — lay scattered even as the former underwent treatment at hospital. “We spent a lot of our money on the weddings,” the sister told TOI.Recalling the incident, she said, “The acid went into her eyes and throat, causing internal injuries. She threw up a lot of blood. She was also attacked with a sharp object, and needed stitches on her face.”The survivor lives with her parents, four sisters, a brother, a sister-in-law and two nephews. The family makes belts for a living. The girls take up occasional tailoring work to make ends meet.The accused, known to the family for around 15 years, came over seeking help in applying mehendi for another wedding. At the corner of the house, now turned into a crime scene, muskmelons meant for the guest lay untouched.The incident, reported by TOI on Wednesday, took place around 12.50 pm on Tuesday. According to the family, the neighbour first visited the house around 11.30 am and left, returning at 12.30 pm, in different clothes, with a bag containing two bottles. “She sat on the floor and drank an energy drink from one of the bottles,” the survivor’s younger sister said.After about 20 minutes, the neighbour allegedly took out another bottle containing acid and hurled it at the bride-to-be. She then attacked her with a sharp object, the family claimed. She tried to flee but was overpowered by the survivor’s family and handed over to police. The younger sister, too, was injured while trying to intervene.The survivor, a second-year MA political science student, recently quit her job as a teacher at a local private school. Her sister added, “I can’t erase the haunting image of her screaming face from my mind.” The family said the fumes and smell of the acid lingered long after the attack.Across the lane, the accused’s father said he was unaware of any alleged relationship of his daughter or of the survivor’s upcoming wedding. “My daughter has been suffering from depression since she was eight. If she has done something wrong, she should be punished,” he said.The accused was studying through open learning to become a teacher. She was arrested and a case was registered under Section 124 (causing grievous hurt by use of acid) of BNS at Gokalpuri police station.
