Acid attack victim in Bhopal says conviction of attackers first good news in 2 years

Atif Bilal, who lost his eyes in the acid attack in Bhopal, more than two years ago, says the first positive news he heard ever since the incident, is that of conviction of the two persons who were involved in the attack on him.

Atif Bilal, who lost his eyes in the acid attack in Bhopal, more than two years ago, says the first positive news he heard ever since the incident, is that of conviction of the two persons who were involved in the attack on him.

The duo — Najmul Hasan, a resident of Talaiya, and his brother Saeed, —were convicted by the court on Saturday.

They have been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

Reacting to the news, Bilal said no amount of punishment to the perpetrators could bring back his vision.

“Even if they got hanging it won’t have brought back my eyesight but still it is the first good news he had in the last 2-1/2 years,” he said.

Bilal, 23, was sitting at his shop, when acid was thrown at him by the accused over a personal enmity.

The acid had entered Atif’s eyes and made him blind. He was taken to Hyderabad for treatment, but the vision couldn’t be restored.

Bilal had befriended a woman on social networking website Facebook.

She had claimed to be unmarried, but later it was found that she was married for more than 15 years, and had children.

To seek vengeance, her husband, Saeed, and brother-in-law Najmul Hasan, threw acid on Bilal in October, 2012.