Mother, daughter attacked with acid in Amethi

Amethi, Jan 11 (IANS) Two unidentified men attacked a woman, 27, and her three-year-old daughter with acid when the latter were sleeping in their own house at a village in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi, senior police officials said.

They added that the mother and daughter were undergoing treatment for burn injuries on their faces and hands at the local district hospital. The incident took place late on Wenesday evening.

Amethi Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Harendra Kumar, said the incident was reported in Shubhawatpur village under Gauri Ganj police station of Amethi.

The woman, Bhanmati Lodhi, has reportedly told police officials that assailants fled after attacking her and her daughter and snatching her phone.

The police officer added the sequence of incident seemed a little suspicious and a further investigation into the matter was on.

The ASP said forensic officials along with a police team had examined the crime scene. He added that the police station concerned had asked to register an FIR after taking a written application from the victim or her family.

The acid attack incidentally took place the same day when the Allahabad High Court asked the state government to file an affidavit regarding the steps taken to prevent the open sale of acid in Uttar Pradesh.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by one Navya Kesharwani and other law students, who have sought a ban on the open sale of acid in the state.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Kshitij Shailendra further asked the state counsel that the government must also disclose how much compensation had been paid to victims of such attacks.

The court has also asked for details of all acid attacks that took place in the last five years in the state.