Just a day after a 17-year-old girl was attacked with an acid-like substance in New Delhi in a shocking incident, it scratched old wounds for actress Kangana Ranaut. The ‘Queen’ star, who doesn’t shy away from calling out people or wrongdoings on social media, was so moved by the latest episode that she has shared the emotional trauma that comes with an acid attack. Kangana revealed how when her own sister Rangoli Chandel had faced an acid attack years ago, she had to take therapy while her sibling was on her recovery journey. The moment wasn’t an easy one for her. They have come a long way since then, and have found happiness. But it is a chapter in their lives which they’ll never forget. Read on to find out how the acid attack incident left the sisters traumatised and the whole family devastated.
After reports of the teenager being attacked by two bike riders near Dwarka Mor, New Delhi, surfaced, Kangana took to her Instagram Stories where she wrote that when she was a teenager, Rangoli was also attacked with acid by a “road side Romeo.”
Kangana’s sister had to go through over 50 surgeries after acid attack
She shared that her sister had to go through 52 surgeries and “unimaginable amount of mental and physical trauma.” It wasn’t just Rangoli who was affected by the act, but also her family members, who were left “devastated”.
How Kangana Ranaut coped with sister Rangoli Chandel’s acid attack
Kangana admitted going through therapy herself. She explains that she sought peace in therapy “because I feared anyone passing me might throw acid on me”. She was so scared that covered her “face violently in a reflex action every time a biker, a car or a stranger crossed” her.
Kangana Ranaut wants Indian government to take action against acid attackers
The actress, like many other noted names, called on the Indian government “to act very strongly against these crimes” as she noted that these “atrocities haven’t stopped.” She hopes that “very strict measures against acid attackers” are taken in the future.
As for Rangoli, she is now married and has a son too. She continues to be a vital part of her sister’s career, and has often spoken on the emotional upheaval that the acid attack brought on her life.
What is an acid attack?
It is described as an act of throwing acid or using it in any form on the victim, as per the National Commission of India. The attacker does so with the intention of or with knowledge that he or she is likely to cause to the other individual partial or permanent damage or some kind of deformity or even disfiguration to any body part of the person. It is considered to be a gender-based crime against women in India.
According to Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, a study revealed that 78 percent of acid attack incidents is due to rejection of love, refusal to marry or for other personal reasons. Cases of acid attack on women is shooting up, with targets being girls aged between 11 and 30.
When a person faces acid attack, it rarely kills her or him. But it causes major physical, psychological as well as social scarring. The study also showed that most of the respondents to acid attack who had faced the violence had also been cast-out from the society or had found it difficult to get married or even finding a job.
It needs a lot of courage, patience and support of loved ones to get through this, as seen in the case of Rangoli’s journey.
