3 days ago
Woman suffers injuries in ‘fuel' attack, both corneas affected
Ranchi: A 21-year-old woman sustained severe burn injuries in Kanke area on the outskirts of Ranchi on Saturday after she was allegedly poured with a flammable liquid, suspected to be petrol or kerosene, by an unidentified person.
Immediately after the incident, chief minister Hemant Soren took to X and directed health minister Irfan Ansari, Ranchi police, and the Ranchi DC to investigate the matter and ensure the immediate arrest of the assailant and provide better medical facilities to the victim.
The victim sustained severe injuries in both her eyes in the attack, and she was rushed to a medical facility in Ranchi, where she underwent treatment.
Police said the victim was inside her home when the assailant barged in and attacked her with the flammable liquid.
Talking to TOI, SP (rural) Praveen Pushkar said, "At first, it was assumed to be an acid attack, but doctors later confirmed it to be a fuel. The motive behind the attack is yet to be ascertained. We are waiting for the victim to be stable to record her statement. Only after that, the details of the case will be clear.
Meanwhile, we are investigating the matter from all angles and are trying to nab the perpetrator."
Ranchi-based eye specialist Dr Bharti Kashyap, who treated the victim, confirmed that it was a petrol attack. "She was attacked at about 1 pm on Saturday and was brought to my clinic around 3 pm. The upper layers of the cornea of both her eyes have suffered damage in the attack. The petrol has been washed off her eyes, and we expect that she will retain vision in the next two days.
She will not need any surgery to get cured," the doctor told TOI.
Expressing apprehension about the way the incident occurred, the doctor said, "The victim is about to get married soon and she was brought to the clinic by her to-be husband. They called the media and the police to the clinic, and the would-be husband claimed that she fell victim to a gang war related to some business dispute over the tendering of parking spaces," Kashyap added.
