The Madhya Pradesh Police arrested two men from Panna district on Wednesday for allegedly pouring acid-like substance into a 20-year-old woman’s eyes after she resisted their attempts to rape her, India Today reported.
District Superintendent of Police Dharamraj Meena said that the two accused persons have been identified as Sumer Singh and Goldi Raja.
Singh and Raja abducted the woman and her brother on the suspicion that she had helped one of their relatives flee from Barho village in Panna district. The woman is also a resident of the same village.
“The accused also tried to molest the woman and when she objected, they threw acid in her eyes,” Meena said, according to the Hindustan Times. “They fled from the spot as the woman started crying for help. Her brother also went missing after the incident.”
The woman claimed that she and her brother were also brutally thrashed before the men attacked her with acid, according to NDTV. “They later dumped us in the village and escaped,” she added.
She is undergoing treatment at the Chitrakoot Eye Hospital in Panna district, the Hindustan Times reported.
District Collector Sanjay Kumar Mishra said that the woman has suffered burn injuries and partial vision loss. “The doctors are not sure about the acid used but are trying hard to save the eyes from getting permanently damaged,” he added.
Mishra also said that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed officials to ensure that the woman is given all the necessary treatment, according to ANI.
“We are investigating the matter, the accused will not be spared,” he said.
The minister of Home Affairs for Madhya Pradesh, Narottam Mishra, condemned the attack on Wednesday. He said that the culprits will be given the strictest punishment.
Congress MP Kamal Nath also condemned the incident. He said that the crime had “stigmatised Madhya Pradesh across the country”. Nath demanded strict action against the culprits and also said sufficient assistance will be provided to the woman and her sibling.
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