She Could Not Save Her Face, But Fought To Save Her Dignity- Gets Acid Attacker Behind Bars

She could not save her face, but for the past four years the woman saved her strength and focused on bringing her assaulter to justice. There was a moment of reprieve for the 25-year-old Dum Dum woman when police on Sunday arrested Soumen Saha, her former boyfriend, who threw acid on her face.

In September 2014, when Sanchayita was going to a shop at Sethbagan, Dum Dum, in the evening with her mother, a biker stopped in front of her and threw a liquid at her.

She tilted her head reflexively to one side but it wasn¡¯t enough. Within a minute the liquid ate into her skin and left her writhing in pain.

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For the next few months Sanchayita Yadav and her mother struggled against every odd that came their way. Her mother, a widower for a year by then, had to take loans for her treatment. She fought to save her daughter¡¯s right eye, but in vain. A case was lodged with the police but the investigation did not progress much.

Sanchayita was contacted by an NGO that helps acid attack survivors and they have stood by her since then. They introduced her to a human rights NGO that helped Sanchayita lodge a case in the Calcutta high court alleging police inaction.

The probe of the case finally began in 2017 when her statement was recorded before a judicial magistrate¡¯s court. ¡°A lot of time had elapsed by then and it was becoming very difficult to nab the attacker. But we managed to arrest the man from Sonarpur on Sunday night,¡± said an officer at Dum Dum police station.

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¡°It is not only the physical attack but the social stigma towards the victim which I had to endure. People would laugh at me and make fun of my distorted face. One day I realised that it was time to fight back and from the next day I stopped covering my face with a dupatta,¡± Sanchayita recounted while travelling in a local train.

She realised that her biggest strength would come from those who had suffered similiarly. ¡°When I spoke to other victims, I found that their lives stopped after the incident. I decided to bring them out of the darkness.

The more I talked to them, the stronger I became,¡± she said. Sanchayita joined a human rights organisation in 2016 and started working with them. ¡°I realised that my condition was better than that of many others who could not even eat properly. Most of them were unable to bring their attackers to justice,¡± she said.

When she saw Saha at the police station on Monday, she slapped him. ¡°For the last four years my life has gone through immense pain and this man was roaming freely. I could not resist myself,¡± she said.

For Sanchayita, the battle is still half won. ¡°I am waiting for judge to pronounce him guilty. That will instill confidence in me and many like us,¡± Sanchayita said.