The Hindu : Karnataka News : Woman suffers 80 per cent burns in acid attack in Mysore

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Friday, Aug 10, 2007
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Karnataka

Woman suffers 80 per cent burns in acid attack in Mysore

Staff Correspondent

Husband held; victim’s eyes bore cigarette burns too

MYSORE: A 22-year-old woman suffered serious burns when her husband allegedly threw acid on her in Mysore on Wednesday. It is also alleged that he forced her to drink it, which was mixed with liquor.

Hina Fathima is battling for life at the Burns Ward of K.R. Hospital with 80 per cent burns. According to doctors, it will be difficult to save Fathima’s eyes, which bore cigarette burns.

According to a statement by Fathima, recorded by Udayagiri Police, her husband, Fairoz Ahmad Khan, a resident of Nehru Nagar, was “tormenting her for the past nine years for dowry”. On Wednesday, he forced her to drink liquor mixed with acid before throwing it on her. The police have taken Fairoz into custody.

A scooter mechanic, Fairoz married Fathima about nine years ago and the couple have two sons and two daughters. The police said Fairoz had been subjecting Fathima to physical and mental torture.

Fathima had once returned to her parent’s house in Hanumanthanagar in the city unable to bear the torture. Then, her parents convinced her to return to her husband.

On Wednesday, Fairoz reportedly came home in an inebriated condition, sent his children out and bolted the door. He abused her and forced her to drink the liquor laced with acid. When she began to scream , Fairoz threw the mixture on her.

She was rushed to the hospital where the police recorded her statement. Fathima’s father, Muneer Khan, told The Hindu at the hospital that her daughter’s tale of woe began on the day she was married to Fairoz.

“Without knowing his antecedents, we gave our daughter to him in marriage. Later, we realised that he had a criminal bent of mind and had indulged in petty crimes. I paid him Rs. 20,000 at the time of marriage. But his greed grew and he persisted with demands for more money and started torturing my daughter,” Muneer said.

“He had threatened to throw acid on my daughter several times before. But we had not taken it seriously,” he added.

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