Dang, April 11, 2016:Â Rita Chaudhary, victim of the acid-attack in Dang last month, was in severe pain and the burns were horrendous while undergoing treatment at the Nepalgunj-based Kohalpur Medical College.
The bed-ridden victim was worried whether she could get her face back. While the doctors were applying ointment on her face and assuring her that she everything would be alright, she also thought about the possible fate of the culprit.
She had not seen herself in the mirror since the attack. However, on the tenth day she faced the mirror. She could see scars on the right side of her face. Her ear skin seemed like it was about to detach and it seemed that her cheekbones were visible. She was devastated and broke down in tears.
“When I looked at my face in the mirror after 10 days of the incident, I was horrified and devastated,” she told Republica. “I felt very bad when I saw her break down in tears in front of the mirror,” her husband Motilal said.
Doctor Binod Karn, who has been involved in her treatment tried to assuage her concerns. He has assured her that her face will be far better after the treatment.
After listening to the doctor’s assurance, Rita is optimistic that her scars could gradually be erased, though deep down she herself doubts this optimism.
“I’ve seen faces of many acid attack victims. They revolve in my mind. I wish no one should suffer such terrible punishment,” she said. She feels uncomfortable to breathe because of the burns around her neck.
She has undergone surgery three times during which damaged skin of her neck has been removed and transplanted with skin from other parts of her body. Dr Karn says that due to so much of transplant, her face skin will would look differently in the days ahead. Rita is expected to be discharged from the hospital this week.
Rita a resident of Ghorahi municipality-2 attacked with acid while she was closing her shop in March. The assailant who was wearing a mask and helmet had fled the scene on bike. Even after a month the police remain clueless about the identity of the culprit.
“We cannot ascertain the identity of culprit at the moment,” DSP Prakash Raj Sharma of Dang District Police Office said adding that the police has detained two suspects in the connection.
(image source: newindianexpress.com)
