Despite Having Special Provisions In Law Acid Attacks In India Are Still Rampant; Why?

A Bengaluru woman was hospitalised on April 28 with severe burns after someone threw acid on her. The survivor was believed to be attacked while she was going to work by someone known. The reports have quoted the police officials saying that the accused, who is absconding, is someone known to the survivor and suspect that there is a love angle gone wrong in the crime.

A month before this incident, an artist in the city was attacked with acid as well. The artist Devi was attacked by three men sneaking into her home and throwing acid on her while she was resting. Later it was discovered that they were her male colleagues and attacked her over an argument.

Many such isolated incidents of acid attacks gain traction, are discussed and then forgotten. As a society, we should be mulling over why are acid attacks still reported so rampantly despite the ban on the over-the-counter sale of acid ordered by the Supreme Court? With what motive did the accused persons throw acid on the women?

Acid Attack Laws

The acid attack cases were very rampant, especially between 2014 to 2018, stated the National Crime Records Bureau report. As many as 1438 women were reportedly attacked with acid. They also said that the cases could be much higher but were unreported due to fear.

Sections 326 A and 326 B of the Indian Penal Code were added when the Criminal Law Act was amended in 2013 creating special provisions for acid attack survivors and victims.

The offenders convicted under these sections shall be imprisoned for a minimum sentence of ten years which may increase up to life imprisonment along with a fine; that fine should cover the medical expenses incurred by the victim, the two amendments stated.

Suggested Reading: India Is Failing Acid Attack Survivors, Here Is The Data

In spite of these punishments, the crime is still perpetrated, why? Do these acid attacks have anything in common? How are we, as a society, enabling crime? Have we thought about these questions when we express fear of acid attacks? Even though the laws were introduced in the judiciary, the execution of the same is largely problematic, many women have recounted their ordeals and said the justice system fails to instil faith in the survivors of the crime.

Incidents may seem isolated, however, the recurring motif of all the attacks is usually vengeance. Acid attacks are a form of gendered violence that the perpetrators use to establish their dominance over women. Women are attacked by acid by the accused persons so their socio-economic life is affected and is usually done so to avenge themselves and their bruised egos which is supposedly the case with the Bengaluru acid attack.

The reports suggest that the man who purportedly lived in the woman’s locality had thrown acid on her because she had allegedly rejected his proposal. The police told the media that the man had developed hatred toward the survivor which resulted in him attacking her.

Acid attacks are a display of toxic masculinity?

Acid attacks are a display of toxic masculinity and are not at all justifiable as a punishment for not responding to their advances. Why do men think that they have the right to disfigure a woman and scar her just because a woman rejected their advances?

Society has held onto the archaic thought of how women should be subservient. Moreover, with patriarchy, their sense of entitlement is fuelled further. When reports as such get reported, we see put women in claustrophobic spaces rather than hold men who perpetrate the crime accountable.

Thought of acid attack disrupting a woman's socio-economic life encouraging men to attack her is known. Why don't we ever think about why is it that a woman's life must get altered when she's the survivor of a crime? Why must a woman be isolated from society? Are we not failing our women by ignoring issues that continue to bother them?

The views expressed are the author's own.