Minister, DC & MLA come to the Rescue of Acid Victim Swapna ONLY after VHP & Om Sri Math Press Meet
Mangaluru: Following close on its heels within hours after Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Om Sri Math-Chilimbi, Mangaluru had a press meet at Mangaluru Press Club (Ref: VHP & Om Sri Math Urge Govt to Help Acid Burn Victim Swapna & Her Family with Financial Aid ), where during the press meet Swamij Om Sri Vidyananda Saraswathiji Mathasree Sivajhna Mayee of Om Sri Math had urged the government and concerned authorities to help the acid burn victim 35-year-old Swapna with financial aid and other facilities.
Swapna before Acid attack…..
It should be learnt that 35-year-old Swapna of Kadaba, Belthangadt Taluk who was attacked with acid on her body by her brother-in-law last week on Thursday over a financial dispute, is still in ICU at Govt Wenlock Hospital suffering from burns on her face, neck, hand, chest. Her three year old daughter who was beside her also suffered minor acid burns. Even though the accused 55-year-old Jayananda Kothary, a LIC agent by profession was arrested by the police, there was not much action taken by the police in this case. It was only after VHP, Bajrang Dal, Om Sri Math and few other Saffron organizations stepped in, that the case is now being followed up.
….Swapna After Acid Attack
Earlier during the press meet, the Swamiji had said that the accused is being protected, and police are yet to begin a probe into the case and that they are silent on these allegations of sexual harassment, and that none of people’s representatives have assured support to the victim. Having said that, within hours after the press meet at Mangaluru Press Club, District in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, Deputy Commissioner Ms Sindhu Roopesh and MLA Vedavyas Kamath visited the acid burn victim Swapna at Wenlock hospital, and promised to provide land and financial support for Swapna and her kith and kin.
It is now learnt that the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) Scheme and the Supreme Court guidelines for victims of acid attacks were not implemented in the case of Swapna-either by the District Administration or the police. The SC had declared that a victim of acid attack should be offered specialized facilities, including reconstructive surgeries in govt or private hospitals, and a interim compensation of Rs 1.75 lakhs should have been released, along with 25% minimum compensation of Rs 7 lakh, without waiting for the victim to file an application for the compensation, as per NALSA scheme which was not done in this case.
The talks of releasing compensation to the acid burn victim , however, began only after minister Kota Srinivas Poojary visited the hospital on Friday (31 January) evening. It is also learnt, if Swapna knows that a land of 80 cents is registered in the name of her deceased husband or father-in-law. As per hospital doctors Swapna has lost vision in her left eye, and she is yet to come to terms with her loss. The minister has assured that within the next three days, he would decide on sanctioning a site and get a house built for Swapna and her family- and also that necessary financial aid would also be provided to her and her children. In the meantime, VHP had announced donating Rs 1 lakh to Swapna, and Om Sri Math has opened an account in Swapna’s name at State Bank of India-Chilimbi Branch, Mangaluru.
