Four members of a family, including an 11-month-old girl, sustained various degrees of burn injuries in an acid attack by an in-
law at Uttar Baherpur village in the city’s Keraniganj area in the early hours of Saturday.
The victims, Asma Begum, 25, her baby Afsana, and sisters Nazma Begum, 24, and Suraiya Begum, 22, were admitted to the burn and plastic surgery unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the morning, hospital sources said.
Among them, Suraiya, who suffered a first-degree burn, was released after receiving necessary treatment, they added.
Nazma said Sohel, a brother of her husband’s first wife, launched the attack on them at about 1:30am.
Nazma had married Khalilur Rahman, a goldsmith, three years ago, knowing well that her husband had another wife named Asma, she told New Age.
She said, ‘Since the family of my husband’s first wife came to know about my marriage to him, her brother Sohel had been harassing us in diverse ways.’
At one point about one year back, Nazma had to leave her husband’s house and since has been living with her parents at Uttar Baherpur, she said.
‘On Saturday night, Sohel tunnelled his way into our mud house and threw a glass of acid at me. But, as I ducked down, the acid splashed onto others,’ said Nazma.
Another victim, Asma, while breast-feeding baby Afsana at the hospital, said in a tear-choked voice that she had come to her parent’s house on a one-week visit, which turned out to be a fateful one.
Immediately after the attack, neighbours rushed to the house hearing their screams but Sohel managed to escape.
Keraniganj police station officer-in-charge Asaduzzaman said they had already arrested Sohel’s brother Haroon in a case filed with the station in this connection under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
At least 100 women and girls have suffered serious burn injuries in acid attacks until October in this year.
According to Acid Survivors’ Foundation, between May 1999 and December 2009, a total
of 2,978 people had sustained various degrees of burn injuries in about 2,357 incidents of acid attack in the country. About 9 per cent of the attacks were sequels to marital disputes.
