Acid Attacks – An exclusive writeup by Riddhima Sen

Acid attacks refer to the attack on a woman, via acid. Acid attacks are often a direct consequence of rejecting a man’s advances. The issue of women facing life threats as a result of rejection has recently been harped upon in the series Adolescence on Netflix. Jamie Miller, a thirteen-year-old teenager, ends up brutally stabbing one of his classmates because of her rejecting him. The portrayal of acid attacks is known to the Indian audience via crime shows like Crime Patrol. Such instances instill fear amongst the psyche of young girls. However, it doesn’t change the fact that such cases do occur.

The case of Lakshmi Aggarwal was the last such case which came into limelight. Despite such incidents happening on a frequent basis, the sale of acid just didn’t seem to stop at a certain point of time. Nevertheless, there has been a change in the legal instrument. A man was sentenced to twenty years of imprisonment in acid attack case in Nalgonda. An offshoot of toxic masculinity, such instances reflect upon the social ills and vices and prejudices. The local court in Nalgonda sentenced the twenty-nine-year-old to twenty years Rigorous Imprisonment for attacking a woman with acid in 2018.