Bengal saw most acid attack incidents in 2018: NCRB

The latest NCRB report presented a sorry state of affairs for West Bengal in terms of acid attacks in the state. According to the report titled Crime in India 2018, West Bengal topped the chart with 50 incidents of acid attacks and 53 victims of such attacks. The state accounted for 21.92% of the 228 acid attacks in the country in 2018. As for victims of acid attacks, 22.08% of the 240 victims in the country in 2018 were in West Bengal.

Compared to 2017 when the state recorded 54 (22.13%) incidents of acid attacks and 54 victims (21.42%) West Bengal witnessed a marginal dip in terms of acid attacks. There were 244 incidents of acid attacks across the country in 2017 which resulted in 252 victims.

As per the latest report, West Bengal is followed by Uttar Pradesh with 40 (17.54%) of acid attack incidents and 43 victims (17.91%). The third spot is occupied by Odisha with 13 (5.70%) such incidents and 13 victims (5.41%).

Punjab with 12 (5.26%) incidents of acid attacks and 13 (5.41%) occupied the fourth position as per the latest report followed by Bihar with 12 (5.26%) such incidents and 12 (5%) victims.

Karnataka recorded seven (3.07%) incidents of acid attacks and eight (3.33%) victims. It recorded four ( 1.63%) such incidents and four (1.58%) in 2017.

Speaking to DH Bikramjit Sen, Deputy Director(Headquarters) of Acid Survivors Foundation India, a reputed organisation which works for the rights of acid attack victims across the country, said that despite the Supreme Court’s direction to states and Union Territories to regulate the sale of acids and other corrosive substances acid is still being sold in an unrestrained manner due to lack of surveillance.

“ The issue cannot be resolved just by depending on the police. It is extremely difficult for police to always keep an eye on shops selling acids. The general public needs to come forward and inform the local police station whenever they see any shop selling acid in violation of the law,” said Sen.

Apart from issuing direction regarding regulating sell of acids the Supreme Court in May 2018 also stated that victims of acid attack should be paid a compensation of at least Rs. 3 lakh by the related state government as rehabilitation cost.