Editorial
Horror of acid violence
Implement laws with iron hand
WE are totally appalled at the recurrence of acid violence in the country despite the existence of laws to both control sale and purchase of the lethal substance as well as punish the acid throwers. Last week a mother got severely burnt by acid thrown by the rapists of her mentally challenged daughter for filing a case against them. It is a poignant tale of oppression suffered by the vulnerable in society. The rise in acid violence amply speaks of inherent weakness in the implementation of laws by the relevant quarters and lack of awareness among the common people.
It is indeed a matter of utmost concern that criminals will have easy access to acid to pour on victims, mostly women and children, with the intent to disfigure them permanently. They can buy a pound of acid for Tk. 30 from the open market, as they do not need any licence or permit to do that. But the Acid Control Act, 2002 says it clearly, "whoever produces, imports, transports, stores, sells and uses acid without licence could be sentenced to three to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment with fines. People who possess equipment used for producing acids without having licence for them could be sentenced to three to 15 years' rigorous imprisonment with fines." The law is there but what about its implementation? It is another tale of apathy and negligence. The Daily Star report on Sunday reveals that all sorts of acids are sold freely at the city's Tantibazar, only a quarter of a kilometre away from Deputy Commissioner's (DC) office.
Furthermore, no one cares to keep any cash memo or receipt of sale and purchase of acid, as stipulated in the law.
We are further dismayed at the report that the Deputy Commissioner's office has no special team to monitor and control the acid market. Also no one there knows when the mobile court last visited the market to check the authenticity of the licence and other documents. It is therefore quite apparent that the drive for acid control gets least priority at the very office that should be leading a war from the front against acid violence.
Besides going all out on illegal sale and purchase of acid, we strongly suggest that a country-wide campaign be launched to make the common people aware of the dangers of corrosive acids that are being used by the criminals. They should be motivated to check on the local acid shops and report any illegal trading. We hope the government agencies will give a serious look into the matter.
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