Chennai: Pushed to tolerate incidents of gross social intolerance, a majority of acid attack survivors are prone to depression and prefer isolation.
They cannot bank on anyone but their family members - having been abandoned by friends and surrounded by slandered relatives.
Founder of Atijeevan Foundation and an acid attack survivor, Pragya Singh said she had a tough time in overcoming challenges. “A pregnant woman closed her eyes as she considered me as a bad omen. She thought that looking at me would make her baby ugly,” said Pragya whose upper body was dissolved from the burns. She was barely 12 days into her marriage when she was attacked.
Fortunately, her husband had been a great source of help, which helped her from slipping into a state of inferno.
Clad in a full-sleeve kurthi and draping a shawl around her face, Deepamala (27) said that she is scared to socialise. She was attacked with acid by her husband for not quitting her job as a teacher. “I am not invited to family functions as my relatives feel let down by my appearance,” she told DC in peculiar Hindi. “Recalling the incident hurts me more,” said Aatif.
According to the info from Facebook page - Justice and support for Aatif Bilal - he was attacked with acid by a 36-year-old married woman, whose love towards Aatif was merely one-sided.
It is not just the legal and medical hurdles that haunt the victims, as the widespread odium diminishes their mental health. “I thought I would die. It is better to be dead than living a hapless life,” said another victim, Sreesha (name changed), quoting her friend. With tears welling in her eyes, Sreesha said she had detached herself, choosing to live in isolation.
