Observing that acid attack is worse than rape, a special women’s court on Thursday awarded death sentence to lone convict Ankur Lal Panwar for throwing acid on nurse Preeti Rathi in 2013 for spurning his advances and out of envy over her career growth. The attack killed Rathi.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5000 on 26-year-old Panwar and directed that it be given to parents of the victim.
What jealousy and male ego can make people do can be horrifying and unfathomable. Preeti Rathi’s case for instance. Rathi was a successful student and worked with the Indian Navy. Her 23-year-old neighbour, Ankur Panwar, felt dejected and decided to put an end to his neighbour’s success by attacking her with acid.
The accused’s father was hardly blameless. He would often admonish his son for failing to do anything worthwhile with his life. He would often compare Rathi’s achievements with that of his son and conclude that he was useless.
Terming the judgement as historic, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said this is the first acid attack case where death sentence has been awarded post the Indian Penal Code amendments in 2013.
Expressing satisfaction over the sentence, Preeti’s father Amar Singh said Panwar should not be allowed to live in society.
Panwar’s failure resulted in him attacking Rathi with acid on the day she was scheduled to leave for her interview.
Unfortunately, Panwar’s anger resulted in Rathi’s death; he threw acid on her face and her throat. She was unable to talk and eventually succumbed to her injuries.
After three years, the accused was found guilty by the Mumbai Sessions Court on Tuesday. The quantum of his sentence will be determined on Wednesday.
(With Inputs from The Hindu)
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