Posted:
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/acid-attack-victim-sonali-set-to-get-govt-job-in-jharkhand/1/214555.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Acid-attack-victim-battles-all-odds-emerges-a-winner/articleshow/15441192.cms
RANCHI: The decade-long ordeal for Sonali Mukherjee (27), who lost her eye sight and became partially deaf, finally ended with chief minister Arjun Munda offering her a government job.
As a teenager Sonali was trained in National Cadet Corps (NCC). She was only 17-years-old when one horrific incident changed her life forever.
Sonali was allegedly harassed for years by neighbourhood youths. When she opposed to their lewd attempts, three assailants attacked her with acid in 2003. After the attack, her face was disfigured and she was left complete blind and partially deaf.
Since then, the victim and her family members have kept visiting hospitals and government departments for treatment and justice. In this process they have spent their entire life saving and also sold plot of ancestral land to fund her court cases and medical treatment.
After running for justice and help for almost a decade Sonali recently approached Union minister for women and child development Krishna Tirath for help. However, when her pleas fell on deaf ears, she sought permission to end her life.
"I had lost hope as my struggle appeared to be endless. Today I am happy that the chief minister has come to my rescue and help," said Sonali and recalled how Munda's personal intervention in 2003 had helped her in getting the case lodged at Dhanbad.
She revealed that now people have started extending help for plastic surgery and even for the judicial battle.
Police officials in Dhanbad said that Sonali and her family members were facing tough time especially after two of her attackers, Tapas Mitra and Sanjay Paswan, were released on bail six years ago. The third accused Brahmadev Hajra, was let off on the account of being a juvenile at the time of crime.
"Sonali and her family even had to abandon their home in Dhanbad after she started getting threat calls from the attackers. Now that she will get a job and probably live in Ranchi we hope that her agony will come to an end," said police.
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