A group of unidentified men in West Delhi allegedly threw some corrosive substance on a Syrian refugee and his 11-month-old son. An FIR was registered in the case on Monday after the victims received medical treatment at Safdarjung Hospital, The Times of India reported.
The incident occurred on September 30 in Vikaspuri where Rafat, his wife, Marisa, 26, and their son, have been residing outside the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Rafat, who earlier worked at a call centre, contacted the UN agency after he lost his job. “However, the official denied us all help and we had no choice but to live on the road,” he said.
Describing his ordeal about the attack, Rafat told TOI that he saw from afar that the perpetrators were holding a can and he sensed danger. “I tried to run away but couldn’t get too far away before they threw something on me and my son. My skin started to burn and I sensed a chemical smell on me,” he added. The refugee claimed that he begged many autorickshaws to take him and his son to hospital.
However, he received no help. Later a man helped him and dropped him at the hospital on a motorcycle, according to the newspaper. Rafat’s wife Marisa said, “When I reached the hospital, my son had burn injuries on his face, especially the eyes, neck and chest. I thought I would lose him. How can someone do this to a baby? Do they not have children?”
After the assault, Rafat was contacted by an NGO that works for acid attack survivors. “This is a highly shocking incident in which an acidic substance was thrown on a man and an infant. It seems it is still so easy for people to procure acid in the capital. Availability of corrosive substances can so easily ruin the lives of people,” said Shaheen, founder of the Brave Souls Foundation.
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