Heinous act must not go unpunished

A ghastly incident has once again shocked the entire populace of Jammu and Kashmir as a young girl from Srinagar, the summer capital of the Union Territory has been attacked with acid on Tuesday, leaving her severely wounded. It is not for the first time that such an act has taken place here, but Kashmir has witnessed such events in the past as well. Earlier in October last year, a 17-year-old girl suffered burn injuries in her shoulder after she was attacked by a man with acid in Kral Check area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. Such acts are not less than gruesome and shameful as well. Everyone from children to the elderly has been reacting to the shameful incident. One fails to understand how these attackers can dare to take such an extreme step. Such acts are not only shameful but a disgrace to the society where sufi saints have lived in and spread the teachings of Islam for years. In the past, the Jammu and Kashmir police have acted swiftly against such attackers, but there is a need to ensure stringent measures so that no one could dare to take such an extreme step in the future. The religious clerics have to play an important role in this regard so that the youth are made aware of the respect given to the girls in the Islam and such incidents in the future are avoided. The Kashmir society and the political class should speak up in this regard to put an end to such menace that is disrespecting the sufi saints’ land.