Suman, a mother of three, had acid poured on her and was also forced to drink the burning liquid in an act of blinding revenge by her former lover in Delhi last week. It was the latest in an alarming trend that psychiatrists say is due to the psychopathic tendencies of the spurned man.
In the past six months, around seven acid attacks have taken place on young women in Delhi and the national capital region, including in Gurgaon and Ghaziabad. “It is a revenge by the perpetrator. The cause of such an extreme step could be hatred for the woman. In most cases, the doer is aware of the consequences of the attack and carries it out in a planned manner,” said TP Jindal, senior psychiatrist at the Indira Gandhi ESI Hospital. “Acid attacks in Delhi are increasing because it is the easiest way of taking revenge and the damages are always lethal,” said Jindal. In most cases, the man suffers from an inferiority complex.
“The aggressors suffer from psychopathic tendencies because of which they are not able to have a rational mind and control unstable thoughts,” added Jindal. “The men always want everything to be easily available to them.”
In most cases, the man carries out the attack in a well-planned manner. “The aggressor watches the movements of the victim for a few days before carrying out the attack. Due to personality disorders, there is little or no sense of fear from the law or punishment,” said Jindal.
In case of Suman, her former lover Umesh cornered her inside her Punjabi Bagh house in West Delhi on November 15 and poured acid on her, leading to her death. Suman had eloped with Umesh two years ago but later returned to her husband Nagendra. This led an angry Umesh to plan his revenge.
In another acid attack, a Class 10 student suffered extensive burns after a fellow student threw acid on her after she opted out of their relationship.
Psychiatrists say the problem of acid throwing is prevalent in Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, MP and other states.
