Three men have been arrested in the case of an acid attack on a 17-year-old girl at Mohan Garden in West Delhi.
Two masked men earlier on Wednesday threw acid on the girl minutes after she left her home for school along with her younger sister. She is battling serious injuries at Safdarjung Hospital's burn intensive care unit (ICU), according to Delhi Police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M Harsha Vardhan earlier said that the girl had named two persons who could have been behind the acid attack.
A video of the alleged attack has surfaced in which bike-borne men appear to be throwing acid on the victim.
The acid attack has led to outrage with women's groups and Delhi Commission for WOmen (DCW) questioning the availability of acid.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has also sought a report from the Delhi Police in the case.
What we know of the Delhi acid attack?
The girl has suffered burn injuries on her face but remains stable, according to a doctor at Safdarjung Hospital.
"She has suffered seven to eight per cent facial burns and her eyes have also been affected. She has been admitted to the burn ICU and is stable," said a doctor at Safdarjung Hospital.
Waiting outside the burns ward, her father told reporters that her sister was with her at the time.
"My daughter left home at 7.30 am. As soon as she crossed the street, she was attacked. The incident happened within six to seven minutes of her leaving the house. My youngest daughter had gone along with her and then came running to us," he told reporters here.
Asked whether she was being harassed or stalked, he said she had made no such complaint.
Recapping the events of the morning, the girl's uncle said she was walking towards the metro station with her sister when she was attacked. The pain must have been excruciating and she ran towards nearby shops for help. One shopkeeper poured milk on her face to alleviate the agony, he said.
"They were waiting for one of their friends so that they could take the metro from Dwarka Mor and go to school. Suddenly, two men on motorcycle arrived there and threw acid on her," the uncle told reporters.
Delhi Police arrests three men in acid attack case
The Delhi Police has arrested three men who are currently being interrogated to ascertain the motive behind the attack.
Earlier, it was reported that one person had been detained in the case.
The person who was detained earlier was one of the two persons who the victim girl said could have been behind the acid attacks on her.
The outrage over Delhi acid attack
The open sale of acid is banned since 2013 after a Supreme Court ruling and sale is regulated by Delhi district authorities.
A district magistrate, requesting anonymity, told PTI that district authorities regulate the sale of acid.
"We have a list of all the authorised sellers of acid who provide us regular sale reports. Also monitoring is ensured by the SDMs at sub-divisional level," said the DM cited above.
Following the increase in the number of acid attacks, the Supreme Court in 2013 banned over-the-counter sale of acid at retail outlets and ordered a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to be paid by state governments to each acid attack victim.
DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal has intervened in the case and has sought an action taken report from the police. Taking suo motto cognisance of the case, she wrote to Delhi Police. Besides her letter, DCW members Vandana Singh and Firdos Khan met the victim girl's family.
"DCW Members Vandana Singh and Firdos Khan met the girl and her family at the hospital. It’s really painful to see her condition. The family informed how acid is sold openly in their locality. We will assist the girl’s family 24x7 and have deputed a team for it," said Maliwal in a tweet.
In a video, Maliwal also said acid is easily available for sale in Delhi.
"A very big question arises. For the past many years, Delhi Commission for Women has repeatedly issued notices and summons to learn when the retail saile of acid is going to be banned. The condition in Delhi is today such that anyone can easily buy acid anywhere like you'd buy vegetable and throws it on anyone," said Maliwal in Hindi in the video.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also reacted to the acid attack and said such an attack cannot be tolerated.
"This cannot be tolerated. How come criminals dare to do this? Criminals should get the strictest punishment. Safety of every daughter in Delhi is our responsibility," said Kejriwal in a tweet in Hindi.
(With PTI inputs)
