An acid attack five years ago disfigured Chanchal Kumari, a teenager then, and dashed all her hopes of becoming a computer engineer. She died on Thursday but her quest for justice will not be stilled, said her family.
On Friday, the Patna Police directed the local police to investigate into the cause of her death. If proved that she died due to injuries sustained in the acid attack, her case will be treated as a murder case, a district police officer said.
Her attackers are out on bail.
Sailesh Paswan, her father, said Chanchal died due to health complications developed after the attack. Paswan is a daily wage construction worker.
The death shattered Chanchal's family. The entire village was grieving and many demanded death sentence for the accused.
Early on Thursday, Chanchal complained of severe pain, her father said. She was taken to a government hospital in Danapur where she was declared brought dead.
On October 21, 2012, four youths from the same village poured acid on Chanchal's face and body when she was sleeping with her younger sister, Sonam Kumari. She sustained 90 per cent burn injuries and lost her entire face in the attack.
She was attacked because one of the four accused had earlier extended a friendship proposal to her which she refused. Sonam was also injured in the attack.
The summer months were the most difficult for Chanchal as the scorching heat added to her problems, her father said. She was always in severe pain and her health problems complicated over the last few months, Paswan said.
Her face was completely disfigured but nothing deterred her from fighting for justice, said Paswan. "She also continued her education and joined a college in Danapur and enrolled for graduation course in political science," he said.
The last three years were particularly difficult for Chanchal. She could only breathe through her mouth as her nostrils were completely damaged in the attack.
Chanchal had undergone half a dozen operations in Patna and Delhi hospitals.
"It was difficult for her to chew and swallow food properly," Paswan said. She could not even close her eyes while sleeping as her eyelids were burnt, he said.
A grieving Sonam told IANS: "It hurts a lot, I'm very sad but I will not give up. I will continue my sister's fight for justice in the courts. I will not rest till the culprits are punished."
"I will not sit silent. I will fight to fulfil my sister's dream. Her battle for justice remained unfulfilled till her death," said Sonam on Friday.
She was at their ancestral village Chitnawan in Manner near Patna as they prepared for the long battle ahead.
Sonam said: "My sister was a brave girl. Even after the attack that snatched everything from her, including her face, she was adamant to fight for justice."
"She was not afraid of the threats from the accused who wanted us to withdraw the case. She never lost hope. She used to say that one day her culprits will be punished by the court," she said.
The accused, after being released on bail, had threatened Chanchal and her family repeatedly, she said.
"They did not just stop at death threats, but also abused and humiliated Chanchal on her way to the court. They threw stones and glass shards at us to terrorise us," Sonam said.
"Now it is my duty to take her fight forward, as the case is still pending in a Patna court," she added.
--IANS
ik/in/him/rn
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
