Will extend all assistance to teen who was attacked with acid: Laxmi

New Delhi: Acid attack survivor and activist Laxmi Agarwal on Wednesday said she will extend all possible assistance to the 17-year-old girl who was attacked with acid in west Delhi and urged authorities to strictly implement the ban on the corrosive substance.

Agarwal, who herself survived an acid attack at the age of 15, had come to meet the victim at Safdarjung Hospital's burn ICU but was stopped by authorities.

Two masked men on a bike flung acid on the 17-year-old victim who was attacked minutes after she left her home for school and is battling serious injuries.

As outrage spread over the attack, women's groups and others, including Lt Governor V K Saxena, raised questions on the availability of acid in markets despite a ban and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked how the accused could have gathered so much courage.

"I want to help the victim with her treatment and provide her counselling. Our foundation will support the girl. She should be given good treatment. Most of the time what happens is that when acid is thrown, it also affects the eyes. So priority remains that it does not affect the eyes in any way. " Agarwal told reporters.

The journey of Agarwal, from being a victim to an activist, was also portrayed in the 2020 film 'Chhapaak' with Deepika Padukone playing the titular role.

In the wake of increasing acid attacks, the Supreme Court had in 2013 banned over-the-counter sale of acid at retail outlets and ordered a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to be paid by the state governments to each victim.

Ruing the fact that acid sale is still rampant, Agarwal asked the authorities to start implementing the ban on the ground and fully ban the sale of acid.

She also said it is disheartening to see that a lot of young girls are becoming victims to acid attacks and forcing them to live in a lot of fear.

"If they share about any kind of harassment, they fear that they will be stopped from going to school. It happens because the atmosphere at home is not conducive enough for girls to share their problems," she said.

The teen, who was with her younger sister when the attack took place at Mohan Garden near Uttam Nagar, has named two persons who could be responsible for the attack. Of them, one has been detained by police, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M Harsha Vardhan.