Men at the receiving end

"I could feel something warm on my face, on the left side. Then my eyes started to burn," recalls Neeraj Chauhan, a resident of East Delhi. The incident occurred seven years ago, but Chauhan remembers every detail because he has narrated the incident several times in courts. He was attacked on the morning of May 8, 2010 when he was climbing the stairs at the Preet Vihar metro station. He turned around to see a man whom he had seen roaming around his house.

Scalding from the acid, he dialled 100. After receiving first aid at a nearby hospital, Chauhan was transferred to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where he was admitted for 12 days. By then, the left side of his face was completely disfigured. "I lost an ear and an eye," says the 29-year-old who has undergone multiple surgeries at private hospitals and now has a fake eye.

Chauhan is one of the many male survivors of acid attacks; 35% of all acid attack victims are men, according to Acid Survivors Foundation India (ASFI).

Feuds galore

As in the case of women, soured relationships seem to be the most common reason for acid attacks on men. For instance, a 26-year-old woman in Bengaluru recently threw acid on the face of her boyfriend for refusing to marry her. In Chauhan's case, it was his uncle's relationship that had gone bad with his partner; the man who attacked Chauhan was the woman's lover.

Acid attacks on men are also results of professional jealousy, land dispute, business rivalry, settling scores in personal feuds and political wrestling. Meerut's Chandrahas Mishra was attacked by his landlord's son in 2011. "He was teasing a few girls. I intervened which led to an argument," says the 34-year-old. "I went to his father and narrated the incident to him. The next day, the son threw a bucket full of acid at me."
In another incident, 36-year-old Surya Sankar Barik was attacked by a fellow villager over a monetary dispute. "We got into a fight following which he threw acid on my face and head. I lost my right eye. My face and head are disfigured," says the resident of Mahisamari village in West Bengal.

Pocket expenses

Survivors end up spending lakhs on treatment. Most hospitals are ill-equipped to deal with acid injuries to the eyes and ears. "In Delhi, only Safdarjung has a dedicated centre for burn injuries so naturally, it is overcrowded. Most private hospitals take decisions based on the injury and facilities they have," says Dr Manoj K Johar, Director, Department of plastic surgery at Max Healthcare.

Describing the treatment as an expensive affair, Dr Johar says, "A simple dressing costs between Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 at a private hospital."

It is moot to state that the Union health ministry had instructed every state and union territory in May 2013 to ensure every private and government hospital provides free treatment to acid attack victims, irrespective of the victim's gender. In addition, the Supreme Court, in 2015, had instructed all hospitals to provide treatment, medicine, bed and food to such survivors. Despite the instructions, survivors have to pay for expensive treatment costs. "Even if this is a written law, government hospitals are not equipped and private hospitals won't do it free," admits a senior doctor at a private hospital on condition of anonymity. "I have hospital bills of about Rs seven to eight lakhs. I've had four to five dressing sessions after each of my seven surgeries," says Mishra.

Excluded from redress mechanism

Making matters worse are the institutions and processes that fail male survivors of acid attacks. Barik, who was attacked in December 2013, was able to apply for compensation in November 2014. When he didn't receive the compensation for months, he was forced to approach the Calcutta High Court in August 2016. In November 2016, the high court ordered the authorities to compensate Barik within four months. It has been more than two months since the order, but he hasn't received a penny.

Whereas Mishra had to rope in a lawyer. "When I went to the Chief Medical Officer and to the District Magistrate of Meerut for compensation, they refused, saying only women are to be compensated," says Mishra, who was attacked in 2011. His compensation was held up because authorities in his district were unaware that men too come under the ambit of the compensation law. Jain points out that the problem is with implementing bodies like District Legal Services Authority, who are reluctant to help survivors with legal aid despite instructions coming directly from the central government. Laxmi, an acid attack survivor and social activist from Delhi, points to another dismal reality: "It is difficult to raise funds for men (acid attack survivors)."

Professional life on a downturn

While Chauhan, Mishra and Barik are fortunate to have supportive families, the same cannot be said of their colleagues and employers. The initial period after an attack entails complete bed rest. Survivors can usually resume routine activity after a few months. In the intervening time, most employers find replacements. Finding a new job is anything but easy.

Before he was attacked, Chauhan took contractual jobs as a computer operator; post the attack, he was confined to the bed and had to make frequent visits to a hospital for wound dressings and surgeries. This was followed by a period of visiting the courts regularly.

Mishra managed to resume work as an insurance agent after a forced break of two years following the attack, but he lost agency with a few companies that weren't cooperative during his treatment period. "Disfigurement does not sit well with many employers, especially if the work involves meetings,\" says Dibyaloke Rai Chaudhuri, coordinator, Acid Survivors Foundation India. "It is difficult to return to the workplace or to field jobs. And if a victim has lost an eye or an ear, it'd be difficult to return to leading life as earlier." Clinical psychologist, Dr Ashima Srivastava says, "Employers are impatient with court appointments that require a day's absence from work."

Emotional turmoil

"While women have the option of covering their face, men don't," says Dr Johar, pointing out that acid attack survivors often require the assistance of a psychologist or a psychotherapist. Dr Srivastava concurs and adds that male acid attack survivors often become objects of curiosity and ridicule. "It is common for them to go through depression, insomnia, nightmares and anxiety about another attack, which instills a fear of the outside world. Confidence and self-esteem take a hit."

35% of all acid attack victims are men

Sour relationships, professional jealousy, land disputes, business rivalry are the most common reasons
Most government hospitals are ill-equipped to deal with acid injuries

Men struggle to receive compensations as authorities are unaware of male acid attack victims
Male victims of acid attacks are more prone to depression, insomnia, nightmares and anxiety