Last Updated on December 11, 2023 by Neelam Singh
Acid attacks, a heinous form of violence, leave survivors grappling with profound emotional and physical challenges. These horrific incidents often result from personal disputes, rejected advances, or revenge, leaving victims with life-altering consequences. The emotional scars run deep, as survivors not only endure the physical pain of burns but also face the psychological trauma of disfigurement.
According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau data, there were more than 1,000 acid attack cases reported in the country between 2017 and 2021. Acid attack survivors usually deal with burns anywhere between 20 – 45%. Those with more than 50% don’t make it. Typically, survivors require 8-10 procedures, each costing between Rs. 70,000 and Rs. 1,00,000.
The level of pain is substantial
On the one hand, survivors of acid attacks encounter a harsh social stigma that exacerbates their emotional wounds; on the other, they struggle with physical damage and agony. Physically, survivors endure the excruciating pain of burns and multiple surgeries, which may only partially restore their appearance. The bodily harm includes permanent scarring, loss of eyesight, nose, and hearing, and skin infections.
The process is arduous, with long periods of rehabilitation and uncertainty about the ultimate outcome. The financial burden of medical expenses further compounds their challenges, as access to specialised care can be limited.
Pragya Prasun Singh has undergone nine reconstructive surgeries. She has lost one ear. The activist is unable to breathe from her nostrils and she is unable to blink her right eye. “I am not able to move my neck towards my left side. I have undergone three grafting surgeries around my neck and cheek area but still it has contracted. Since my neck and cheek are joined, movement in that area is restricted. No matter how many surgeries you do, the affected areas end up getting contracted,” says Singh, who runs the Atijeevan Foundation, an NGO to rehabilitate acid attack victims.
In July this year, she wrote on X about the denial to her to open a bank account because she couldn’t blink for the KYC process. She had tagged actor Shahrukh Khan, who founded the Meer Foundation, which works towards the rehabilitation of acid attack survivors.
Singh shares that those like her who are able to afford expensive gels, creams and eye drops are able to salvage the condition but since most of the survivors are from the underprivileged section of society, they are unaware and can’t afford costly ointments. “Even with all those creams, I still got contractions so you can imagine the condition of those who are not able to apply these creams. Sometimes it feels as if the skin will tear off. An acid attack is a deep burn. In the initial stages, I wasn’t able to open my mouth. I still can’t eat a medium-sized rasgulla or a Ferrero Rocher at once. My mouth doesn’t open. For the last 17 years, I have been breathing from my nose, as the holes in my nostrils are very small. If I get a cold and cough, it becomes quite difficult for me,” says Singh. A few days after her marriage in 2006, Singh was travelling in an AC three-tier car from Varanasi to Delhi for her campus placement interview when she was assaulted with acid.
Physical and mental scars
According to Dr. K. Sridhar, Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon at SIMS Hospital, Chennai, acid attack survivors need multiple surgeries. “Firstly, the survivors are in a state of shock. They are emotionally disturbed. They need skin grafting. The acid trickles down and damages skin tissues, nasal apertures, cochlear apertures. Through surgeries, we open the mouth and nostrils. Acid fumes or direct contact with acid can occasionally harm the eyes and result in blindness.”
Damage to the eyelids from acid burns may result in the lower eyelid withdrawing downward and the upper eyelid withdrawing upward. As a result, one may become unable to close their eyes, which in turn results in the cornea becoming dry. In some cases, doctors have to take up corneal transplants as well. Dr. Sridhar says that, in some cases, it impacts the tear mechanism too. “The face, neck and chest are the most commonly and severely affected areas. When nipples get scarred and the contour of the face is lost, survivors experience a feeling of losing their femininity,” says Dr. Sridhar, who reveals that Sri Lanka records a high number of acid attacks on men.
Odisha-based Pramodini Roul was attacked by an army jawan in 2009. The 16 year-old Roul was on her way to college when the boy, whose marriage proposal was rejected by her family, attacked her in the middle of a busy market. She lost vision in both eyes for nine years. One eye is completely damaged, and the other eye regained 20% of its vision after a transplant. The ear that melted away can hear but the ear that is alright has lost hearing. She didn’t receive first aid during the golden hour, which is why the extent of damage was greater in Roul’s case.
The big hospital was 45 km away from her village in Kanakapur and unable to find any conveyance, Roul lost more crucial time in reaching the village. “In India, if any such incident happens, people crowd around and watch but very few people will offer help. Also, there is a lack of awareness. In the case of an acid attack, the first thing that needs to be done is to put in as much water as possible. Even in the local hospital, they didn’t do anything except bandage me and give me a sedative. Even in the big hospital, nobody put water on me. I remained in the ICU for 9 months, during which I experienced constant fever due to infection. I slipped into a coma due to a fever. My legs had stopped working, which affected my mobility. As I wasn’t active, the wounds wouldn’t heal,” recalls Roul, who is a social activist.
The heat and the state of the electricity in her village in Odisha worsened Raul’s condition. Finally, her wounds started to heal slightly with some local remedies, but her legs remained lifeless. With some help and motivation, Raul’s mother admitted her to the hospital again and that’s when Raul began to walk again.
The corneal transplant rejection started to happen while Raul was expecting. There was liquid constantly coming out of her eyes which led to more complications and Raul had to get operated that too without anesthesia as she was pregnant.
Since Raul’s damage was greater, her skin could never heal fully. She says her body and face, except for a few places, only have patches.
According to Dr. Sridhar, the field of cosmetic camouflage hasn’t improved in our country. “Make-up should be taught to acid attack survivors.”
Acid attacks also take a financial and emotional toll on survivors. The government hospitals, inform Singh, lack counsellors. “Even private hospitals don’t recommend counsellors which is so important at that time. The girls are in so much pain and there is her family, which adds to it by saying really depressing negative stuff.”
In addition to the medical bills, patients and their families are also bearing legal expenses. “You get a public prosecutor who doesn’t come for hearings. When he comes, he asks for kharcha paani. The survivor is fighting physical, legal and emotional battles,” adds Singh.
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