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[Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on physical violence which some readers may find disturbing.]
An acid attack is the crime of hurting a person by throwing acid on them, administering acid1 to that person or doing anything with acid with the intention or knowledge that it would harm the person. An acid attack may result in injuries to a person, in any part of the body, including2:
- Permanent or partial damage or deformity to a person
- Burns on any body parts
- Maiming, dis-figuration or any form of disability of a person.
Even though the main definition of acid attack is given in the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Law Commission of India has also defined an acid attack, as a form of violence against women where the perpetrator splashes a person or object with acid in order to deface or kill them.3
An acid attack can happen anywhere. Incidents of acid attack have frequently taken place at home, on the streets and even at work places.
- Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault/other Crimes 2018, National Legal Services Authority, accessed at https://wcd.nic.in/sites/default/files/Final%20VC%20Sheme_0.pdf.[↩]
- The Scheme for Relief and Rehabilitation of Offences (by Acids) on Women and Children, 2009 National Commission for Women, accessed at http://ncwapps.nic.in/PDFFiles/Scheme_ACID_Attack.pdf.[↩]
- Proposal for the Inclusion of Acid Attacks as Specific Offences in the Indian Penal Code and a Law for Compensation for Victims of Crime, Law Commission of India No 226, 2008, accessed at https://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/reports/report226.pdf.[↩]
