LAHAN, August 10: During the Janakpur Literature Festival organized in Janakpur in the second week of February, acid victim Aarti Shah expressed her thoughts “Not only the one who throws the acid on someone but also the one selling the acid should be punished.” Issuing its verdict on the Arati Shah acid attack case, the District Court of Dhanusha has pronounced her husband Sanjiv Shah guilty of throwing acid on her. However, the court has acquitted the acid seller Nagendra Shah.
The court adjourned the case until next meeting when it will sentence Shah for the crime and announce the compensation amount to be paid to his wife. This is also the first implementation of the law ‘Acid and other Harmful Chemical (Regulation) Ordinance 2077 BS’ after the government of Nepal issued the law on September 28, 2020. Arati was attacked with acid on November 14 last year.
Despite the implementation of the law, acid attacks inside the country have not stopped. The Acid on Other Harmful Chemical (Regulation) Ordinance provides imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of Rs 1 million as compensation to the victim. Likewise, the law bans the open sale and distribution of acid, severe punishment for acid attackers, and provides free education and employment to the victims of acid attacks.
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Arati’s sufferings
Arati Shah, a resident of Janaki Nagar in Janakpurdham Sub Metropolitan City-7 was married to Sanjiv Shah in a social-traditional way about five years ago. The couple are parents to their four-year-old daughter Riya Shah.
The couple had started to live separately after tensions grew in their relationship. Arati Shah lived near her family along with her daughter. On November 14 when she was sitting inside her room, Sanjiv had splashed acid on her face which burned her eyes and her face. She was admitted to Kirtipur Hospital in Janakpur for 45 days until she regained her consciousness and the burns had started to heal. However, Arati had lost sight in her right eye due to the attack. She is currently receiving treatment in Kirtipur hospital for her burns and Tilganga Hospital for her right eye.
Loan woes alongside the tragic acid encounter
Arati’s parents are also vegetable sellers and are not financially strong. They had taken a loan of Rs 300,000 for their daughters' treatment in Kathmandu. “Although the government bears the cost of the treatment, we had to pay for our lodging, food and medicines by ourselves,” Arati said. “I am satisfied with the district court’s decision to punish the culprit. However, the decision to acquit the acid seller has saddened me,” she added.
