Nitish Kumar answers call for help by acid attack victim's father

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar answered the call for help by the hapless father of an acid attack victim by sending Patna Commissioner to provide assistance to the distraught family today.

"The moment I came to know from media reports about the plight of the family, I ordered Patna Commissioner to visit them and provide all assistance," Kumar told reporters.

Shailesh Paswan, the father of the acid attack victim had through a letter sought Kumar's help for performing the 'shradh' of his daughter on July 4 as he has no money for it.

Four youths had allegedly thrown acid at the girl and her sister in October 2012 while they were sleeping on the roof of their house at Maner in Patna rural district. The victim succumbed to her serious burn injuries on June 22 after battling for her life for about five years.

"I managed to complete her last rites with the money contributed by the villagers. Now I have no option but to beg for performing the shradh of my daughter," he had said in the letter to Kumar.

The chief minister said, "Besides helping the family I have also instructed the commissioner to ensure proper action in the acid attack case in which the younger sister of the deceased also received burn injuries."

Acting promptly on the chief minister's order, Patna Commissioner Anand Kishore visited the girl's family at Chitnawa village in Maner block of rural Patna.

Kishore told PTI that Rs 13.5 lakh has been made available to the family.

He said on prior instruction by the chief minister, Rs 12.42 lakh was deposited in a bank in the name of the victim and another sum of Rs 1.08 lakh for her younger sister injured in the incident. But due to technical problems the family did not get the money.

"Since the name of the nominee was not written in the victim's account in the bank, the family did not get it after her death. In the case of her younger sister the problem was due to wrong spelling of her name in the bank account," he said.

"Today I had taken the bank manager with me to the family who solved all technical problems and assured them that they can withdraw Rs 13.5 lakh by evening," Kishore said.

In addition to this, Rs 3,000 was given to the victim's father as part of state government's policy for performing the last rites in such cases.

"I also ordered to register the 3 decimal land on which the family is living at present in their name," he added.

The Patna commissioner said that the police have been directed to move for cancellation of bail of the four accused in the acid attack case and to pray to the concerned court for speedy trial.

When contacted, Shailesh Paswan, the distraught father of the acid attack victim, told PTI over phone, "I have no words to thank Nitish Kumarji. My daughter must be thanking him in heaven for the humanitarian concern shown to us."