Srinagar Acid attack: Police file chargesheet against three accused

Srinagar, Feb 22: Police on Tuesday filed two charge-sheets, running on 1000 pages, in the recent acid attack on a 24-year-old woman at Hawal Srinagar.
On February 1, according to police, a man threw acid on the woman after she rejected his marriage proposal. He was accompanied by another person who has also been arrested alongside with the shopkeeper who sold the acid.
Police have incorporated IPC sections of 362A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) which envisages minimum ten years or upto life term imprisonment.
The police have also urged the JJB to treat the juvenile as an adult because of the heinous nature of the crime which send shock waves across Jammu and Kashmir on the evening of February 1 when main accused— Sajid Altaf Sheikh son of Mohammad Altaf Sheikh of Buchwara Dalgate, Srinagar accompanied by a juvenile (name withheld) allegedly threw acid on a 24-year-old woman after she rejected his marriage proposal. Another accused is Mohamad Saleem Kumar son of Abdul Gani Kumar of Dalgate (AP Padshhi Bagh) Srinagar who allegedly provided acid used in the attack.
“Based on oral testimonies, statement of relevant witnesses in front of judicial and executive magistrates, scientific evidences, a strong chargesheet against accused persons was produced in CJM Court, while chargesheet against the juvenile in conflict with law has been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board,” police said, adding, “However, it has been also prayed before the JJB court that this juvenile may be tried as an adult as per the provisions of section 15 of the Juvenile Justice Act as he falls in range of more than 16 years and less than 18 years and he has committed a heinous crime.”
The charge sheets were filed within three weeks of the incident to ensure swift and exemplary punishment to the accused and to deter those who may be having such barbaric tendencies.
Soon after the attack, police had constituted a special investigation team headed by SP North Raja Zuhaib (JKPS) with Yasir Parrey (SDPO) Khanyar, SHOs of police stations Safakadal, Nowhatta and Srinagar Women’s here as its members to investigate the case (FIR No 08/2022) under section 326-A and 120-B IPC)
Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Rakesh Balwal said that police was hopeful of maximum punishment as per extreme heinous nature of the crime.
“We have strong evidence in this case,” he said, adding, “In this case we are also thinking to appoint special public prosecutor who shall look after this case,” he said.
He said the SIT has done “tremendous job”. “The members of the SIT have worked very hard. At times they did even sleep for nights together. There are more than sufficient evidences available and we are hopeful that they (accused) will get the maximum punishment.”
He said police has deputed a dedicated “Pairavi officer” for this case for day to day hearing.
“Legal Procedure for having a dedicated special Public prosecutor for this case has also been started,” he said and “assured all the citizens that we will remain associated with this case by coordinating with prosecution till the speedy and exemplary judgment in this case comes.”
After initial treatment in Srinagar, the victim was sent to a Chennai eye hospital for specialised treatment.
Giving a rundown of the probe into the incident, Rakesh Balwal, a 2012-batch IPS officer from Manipur, said soon after receiving the information about the incident, the SIT was immediately constituted and “we were able to nab the culprits within 24 hours of the shocking incident.” In her police statement, the victim gave details of the clothes worn by the accused. “A police team rushed to the residence of the accused and found those clothes concealed in a bed cavity,” he said. Initially, he said, the main accused gave wishy-washy answers to police on the procurement of sulfuric acid. “After he finally named the shop from where he got the acid, it was sealed for violating the Supreme Court guidelines on the storage and sale of acids.” (GNS)