8 years on, acid attack victim awaits compensation - Hindustan Times
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8 years on, acid attack victim awaits compensation

Hindustan Times | ByVishal Sally, Batala
Mar 29, 2016 07:57 PM IST

53-year-old Paramjeet Kaur has been running from pillar to post for the last eight years, seeking action against the culprits who threw acid on her face. But neither have all the accused been punished nor has she been given any compensation or monetary help by the government.

53-year-old Paramjeet Kaur has been running from pillar to post for the last eight years, seeking action against the culprits who threw acid on her face. But neither have all the accused been punished nor has she been given any compensation or monetary help by the government.

Paramjeet, a resident of Kandila village, was elected the sarpanch of her village in 2002 on a Congress ticket. Ever since then, she and her family have been battling political vendetta.

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“In 2007, when the SAD came into power in the state, the party’s supporters started forcing me to join hands with the Akalis,” she said. Her repeated refusals earned the wrath of the party men who warned her of dire consequences.

“On the night of December 28, 2007, four men barged into my house and threw a can of acid on my face. I was rushed to Batala civil hospital, from where the doctors shifted me to Amritsar,” Paramjeet remembers.

“I underwent four eye surgeries and half a dozen plastic surgeries. But not even a single penny was given by the government for my treatment. My family has spent over Rs 20 lakh on my eye surgeries but to no avail.

“I applied for widow pension and disabled person’s pension but since I am a Congress worker, all these benefits were denied to me”, she added.

Paramjeet says she has made numerous rounds of the Gurdaspur deputy commissioner and Batala SDM’s office but other than assurances, she hasn’t received anything.

When contacted Batala SDM Sourabh Arora said they had not received any document regarding compensation from the victim till date. “Subsequently after getting appropriate documents, her case will

be sent to the Punjab Legal Services Authority for compensation”, he assured.

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