Over 1,300 Acid Attacks In India From 2016-21: Data

New Delhi: The attack on a 17-year-old girl in the national capital on Wednesday has brought back into focus the issue of acid attacks in the country. More than 1,300 such attacks have taken place across India between 2016 and 2021 and another 384 cases of attempted acid attacks took place in the country, according to official numbers analysed by News18.

According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the cases of acid attack have dropped in the past three years. At least 176 cases of acid attack were reported across India in 2021, while 73 cases of attempted acid attack were registered.

Between 2018 and 2021, Delhi reported 32 cases of acid attack. In 2018, the city registered 11 cases and in 2019, there were 10 cases. In 2020, the year that saw nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus, the national capital reported two cases. The next year, in 2021, it increased to nine.

Among the states, West Bengal, followed by Uttar Pradesh, have been reporting the highest number of acid attack cases in the past few years. Between 2018 and 2021, West Bengal saw 185 cases of acid attack, while in UP, the reported cases were 137.

The data showed that 2019 registered the most acid attacks across India since 2016, while 2021 saw the fewest cases.

In 2021, several states have reported zero cases of acid attacks, – Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. Among the Union Territories, only Delhi (9 cases) and Jammu and Kashmir (3 cases) have reported acid attacks. The rest of the UTs registered zero cases.

Over the years, the Centre has taken several steps in checking cases of acid attacks in the country. In 2015, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a comprehensive advisory on taking steps to implement the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), expediting cases of acid attacks, and to provide treatment and compensation to the victims.