Twist to 20-yr-old DU student ‘acid attack’ case

In a dramatic twist to the “acid attack” case involving a 20-year-old Delhi University student, investigating officers have found that the accused mentioned by the victim was not present at the scene of the crime at the time of the alleged assault.

A Student of Open Learning (SOL) near DU’s Laxmi Bai College in Northwest Delhi’s Ashok Vihar area was allegedly attacked by acid on Sunday morning and hospitalised with burn injuries.

A senior police official told The Tribune that the alleged accused, identified as Jitender, as well as his motorcycle were not recovered from the place of the incident.

The police said Jitender was present in Karol Bagh, nearly 5.2 km away at the time the survivor said she was attacked.

Further, Ishan and Arman, alleged associates of the accused, who are also named in the complaint, reside in Mangolpuri and don’t have any connection with Jitender, the cops have said.

In another turn in the case today, Jitender’s wife had filed a rape complaint at the Bhalaswa Dairy police station against the “acid attack survivor’s” father days before the stated assault.

This sexual assault complaint was made by the wife of one of the persons now accused in the “acid attack” case. The complainant used to work in the factory of the survivor’s father and has in her complaint accused him of sexually assaulting her for the last over three to four years.

There is a standing FIR against the ‘acid attack’ complaint’s father in the sexual assault matter, said a senior police officer flagging holes in the account of the acid attack survivor’s story and whether this was an acid attack.

The police say the complaint regarding the alleged acid attack could have been made to settle personal scores. “This is a preliminary assumption in the case and a thorough probe is on,” investigators said.

The police have also not found any traces of acid at the site of the incident.

According to the police, a call was received from Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital on October 26 regarding the admission of the woman with burn injuries. The girl, the hospital said, had sustained minor injuries.

On inquiry, the victim told police officers that she had gone to Laxmi Bai College for an extra class. She said while she was walking towards the college, she was accosted by three men – Jitender, Ishan and Arman, all residents of Mukundpur – on a motorcycle.

The victim alleged Ishan handed over a bottle to Arman, who threw acid on her. She tried to shield her face and suffered burns on both hands while the attackers fled the spot after the incident.

After the incident came to light, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Monday instructed Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha to ensure that the guilty are arrested and brought to justice at the earliest and the most stringent punishment under law is sought for against them.

Delhi