21 yrs after attack, Aligarh Police arrest man accused of throwing acid on 14-yr-old girl

The survivor, now 35, says the accused Arif is her sister’s brother-in-law, wants him to get the ‘punishment he deserves for destroying her life’.

Former ADGP of Agra Rajeev Krishna with acid attack survivors in January this year | Photo: Vishal Sharma

Aligarh: An acid attack survivor got some semblance of justice Friday when her alleged attacker was arrested by the Aligarh police — 21 years after he had committed the act.

Ruqaiya, now 35, was just a 14-year-old teenager when the accused, Arif, who is her sister’s brother-in-law and is now in his mid-40s, allegedly threw acid at her on the night of 7 September, 2002.

Speaking to ThePrint, Ruqaiya said she had gone to visit her sister at the latter’s in-law’s house in Delhi Gate in Aligarh to meet her sister when the incident took place.

Arif, she said, misbehaved with her and when she resisted, threw acid at her that night.

Ruqaiya told ThePrint that her face and body were badly burnt following the attack, but instead of taking action against the accused, her family had advised her to remain silent.

Her treatment continued for years but despite the pain and trauma she faced every day, no action was taken against the accused, she said, adding that she could not work up courage to lodge an FIR.

Arif was arrested on orders given in January this year by then Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, Agra, Rajeev Krishna, when he met Ruqaiya, among other acid attack survivors, at Sheroes Hangout, a café run by such survivors, in the city.

Ruqaiya said she had narrated her ordeal to the officer and urged him to take action against Arif.

Following the ADGP’s orders, an FIR was registered in the case for the first time at Etmaduddaula police station of Agra, which was later transferred to the Aligarh police.

According to Ruqaiya, in 2014, she got a chance to work at Sheroes Hangout which “improved her life a bit”, but she still could not file a case against Arif as, by now, the incident was “too old”.

However, after the ADGP’s order and FIR, the Roravar area police in Aligarh compiled evidence in the two-decade-old incident and finally arrested Arif, who was sent to jail Saturday.

Ruqaiya told ThePrint she is feeling content after the arrest, but said it was just one landmark in her struggle for justice and the real victory would be when Arif got the punishment he deserved for “destroying her life”.

(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)