Skin grafting surgery of acid attack survivor successful, patient still not out of woods

Janakpurdham (Dhanusha), 24 November (2020) – Skin grafting procedure following a preliminary operation on acid attack survivor Arati Sah Sonar has completed on Sunday.

The five hours long operation took place at a hospital in Kirtipur, Kathmandu.

Ujjwal Thapa, an activist against acid attacks, has been taking care of Sonar. He told Lokantar that skin from Sonar's thigh and shin has been taken out and grafted to the burnt parts.

"Arati's face, chest and hands were burnt due to the acid attack," Thapa said. "The doctors took out the burnt skin from those parts and grafted skin from thighs and shin."

She has lost vision as the acid entered her eyes. Ophthalmologists at Tilganga Eye Hospital in Kathmandu will check whether her vision can be recovered, Thapa said.

"Doctors have said that her health condition will remain critical for the next two weeks," Thapa informed. "She will come out of the woods by then but she has to stay in the hospital for three months to completely recover. There will be multiple surgeries afterwards."

On 14 November, Sonar's husband Sanjeev Kumar Sah had attacked her and daughter Riya with acid. The acid burnt Sonar's face, eyes, chest and hands making her health condition critical. Riya's hands have suffered small burns.

Arati Sonar had been leaving apart from her husband for a year. Her husband used to beat her up and commit different kinds of violence. The couple had made a mutual agreement at women's cell at Dhanusha District Police Office and started to live apart, Sonar's father Subodh Sah said.

Sonar's husband Sanjiv works at the jewelers. He attacked his wife and daughter with the acid used to cleanse gold. The police arrested Sanjiv on the day of the attack.

Sanjiv is still in police custody. SP Ramesh Kumar Basnet at Dhanusha District Office has appointed DSP Makendra Kumar Mishra as the investigating officer in the case.

"Sanjiv had been threatening, intimidating, despising and committing domestic violence on Arati," DSP Mishra said. "They had been living separately for a year. Sanjiv attacked his wife with acid due to the separation."

The police will go to Kathmandu if required to take further statements from Arati or take help from local police to secure her statement and submit documents at the court, he said.

Her relatives had admitted injured Arati to Janaki Healthcare Teaching Hospital immediately after the attack. Later Dhanusha Chief District Officer Prem Prasad Bhattarai ordered an ambulance to take Arati to Kathmandu.

Another acid survivor Muskan Khatun came to know about the incident and she informed Ujjwal Thapa about it. Thapa then became active in facilitating Arati's treatment process.

Nepal's new law against acid attack has provided for imprisonment ranging from five to 20 years for the offense. If the attacked person loses their life within a year of the attack, the attacker will receive life imprisonment.

"There is no final certainty in Arati's case to determine a quantum of punishment. Since both the mother and the daughter were attacked with acid, the attacking husband needs to receive a penalty of a total of 30 years imprisonment," Thapa said. "Likewise the law ordains the offender to provide 1 million rupees as compensation, so the attacker needs to provide the amount even if he has to sell his property."

The new law also provides for rehabilitation of the acid attack survivor and Arati should be given a government job matching her qualifications as well as other facilities, Thapa added.