Woman's 15 year fight ends in conviction in 2010 Kulgam acid attack

Kulgam, July 22: Fifteen years after a brutal acid attack in Kulgam left a teacher blind and his wife badly burned, a fast-track court on Tuesday convicted two men for the crime.

Mohammad Yasen Kully and Mohammad Iqbal Kully, both of Lamad village in Devsar, were found guilty under sections 452, 307, 326, and 34 of the Ranbir Penal Code ( RPC). The case was registered as FIR No. 214/2010 at Police station Qazigund.

According to Chief Prosecuting Officer (CPO) Zia-u-Rehman, the victim, Rehbar-e-Taleem teacher Nazir Ahmed Bihad, was attacked while offering evening ( Maghrib ) prayers. His wife had briefly stepped away to bring food for the men, assuming they were visitors.

“In that moment, they threw acid on him,” Rehman said.

"Nazir lost his eyesight while his wife, sustained burn injuries while trying to help him, and became the driving force behind the legal battle, attending hearings, filing motions, and pressing authorities for action."

“Her perseverance kept the case alive,” said a prosecution official.

The attack shocked the region in 2010 but faded from public memory.

“For us, the pain never faded,” said victims wife. “Every day since that night has been a reminder -his blindness, my scars, the struggle in court. It wasn’t just one attack, it changed our entire life.”

Arguments on sentencing are expected soon, with the detailed judgment due on Wednesday. "The judgement follows after series of hearings wherein both prosecution and the defense counsel presented the arguments before the court".