5 Horrific Acid Attack Cases Which Shook Us To The Core

As the number of reported acid attacks in India is increasing endlessly, it makes us think about how many cases remain unreported and away from the limelight. On Wednesday, an unimaginable heinous crime took place in the capital as two men splashed acid on a 17-year-old girl in broad daylight.

As we come to terms with the recent acid attack case in Delhi's Dwarka area, it's important to remember that this horrific attack is not the first to shock the nation.

Let's take a hard look at five shocking acid attack cases that emerged from across the country in the past few years.

Suggested reading: 17-Year-Old Delhi Schoolgirl Injured In Acid Attack: 10 Things To Know

5 Acid Attack Cases

1. Dwarka Schoolgirl Acid Attack Case

On Wednesday, a 17-year-old school-going girl was attacked brutally when she was walking down the road with her 13-year-old sister in the capital's Dwarka area. Two men, who had their faces covered, splashed acid on her and stormed off on a bike.

The incident which was captured by a CCTV camera shocked the entire nation. The camera footage displays how the girls are walking down the road when two men on a bike come near them, slow down their two-wheeler, and one of them throws a liquid substance on the older girl.

The footage shows the excruciating pain the girl goes through as she touches her face and screams aloud. The incident took place at 7:30 am. The Delhi police reached the spot and then the hospital where the girl is currently being treated. According to the latest update on the case, she has identified two suspects in the acid attack and one of them has been detained.

2. Reshma Qureshi Acid Attack Case

On May 19, 2014, a 17-year-old girl named Reshma Qureshi was attacked with acid and the aftermath of the incident changed her life forever. Her estranged brother-in-law Jamaluddin threw acid on her to take revenge on her family who had filed a complaint against him after he abducted his son and abused his spouse, Qureshi's older sister Gulshan.

Qureshi, who lost one eye in the incident and underwent multiple surgeries, identified her attackers and went on to fight for justice. She also wrote a book about her ordeal and, while her attack derailed the curse of her life, she regained her strength and fought back in a society that shamed her. Qureshi recently narrated her story to SheThePeople and shared how she continues to fight for other survivors today.

3. Preeti Rathi Acid Attack Case

Another incident that shocked the nation was the untimely death of Preeti Rathi. In May 2013, Ankur Panwar threw acid on Preeti Rathi at the Bandra Terminus in Mumbai. Rathi had reached Mumbai to join a naval hospital at Colaba, INHS Asvini after she earned a job as a Lieutenant in the Indian Navy.

Panwar, who was a family friend of Rathi, envied her for landing a prestigious job when he, on the other hand, was unemployed. Fed up with the constant taunts and comparisons he was subjected to, he decided to take the extreme step. He stole sulphuric acid from the Delhi Electricity Supply Undertaking office and boarded the same train that Rathi did for Mumbai.

On reaching the terminus, he waited for Rathi to come to the platform and threw acid on her face as soon as she came face to face with him. Rathi lost her life with no fault of her own and Panwar landed in jail as a murder convict.

4. Aryanka Hosbetkar Acid Attack Case

In November 2012, filmmaker Jerrit John threw acid at his Mumbai-based former girlfriend Aryanka Hosbetkar who was 27 years old at the time. John splashed acid on her at her residence in Mumbai's Worli area and fled the scene soon after.

Hosbetkar suffered grave injuries to her eyes and mouth and was immediately admitted to the hospital for treatment. John's attack was a result of their break-up which was caused by several issues that brewed between them.

Besides the money involved, Hosbetkar also separated from him because she discovered he was a married man and a father to a 5-year-old son. John attacked Hosbetkar to take revenge on her. The Mumbai police arrest him and levied an attempt to murder charge on him. The court convicted him in October 2015.

5. Meena Soni Acid Attack Case

In 2004, a journalist who was actively working in Lucknow and was the sole breadwinner of her family was attacked with acid by her spouse when she was asleep at her residence. Soni, who was married off at an early age, started working post-marriage after her spouse lost his job and income.

As her work advanced and she started learning well for her family, her success began hurting her spouse's ego and he decided to take the extreme step of teaching her a lesson at a time when they had completed fifteen years of their married life. He poured acid on her face while she was asleep, and although her life changed post the incident and she carried massive injuries on her body, she did not stop fighting back and putting her life back together.