Father invites daughter's lover, hurls acid at him; escapes

A man hurled acid on the face of a youth on Thursday evening in West Midnapore's Ghatal, leaving the victim with severe injuries, fighting for his life.

Police learnt that the victim had been in a relationship with a local girl for the past three years.

Rabindranath Ghosh, the father of the youth's lover, who allegedly threw acid on his face, managed to escape soon after the incident.

"The victim was called to the girl's house on Thursday evening. He was invited by her family to discuss their relationship. However, her family members allegedly started to beat him up upon his arrival and suddenly, the girl's father threw acid on his face," said a police officer.

The family members of the victim alleged that they were informed about the incident late on Thursday night.

"He (the youth) was covering his face with a cloth. We saw his injuries after unveiling his face," the victim's mother said. She informed the police about the incident.

Police learnt that Ghosh was annoyed about his daughter's relationship with the youth. He had earlier allegedly threatened him to stay away from his daughter.

"The victim had received death threats from the girl's father earlier. The assailant was probably waiting for the right opportunity to kill the youth," said the officer. On the basis of the complaint lodged by the victim's mother, the police started an investigation.

"We have detained some family members of the prime accused, Rabindranath Ghosh. Some neighbours, who rescued the victim from the house and took him to the hospital, have given statements to the police," said the officer.

Repeated incidents of acid attacks have become a concern for the police. A similar incident had taken place in Ghatal in January when a miscreant threw acid at a woman at Ghatal's Neempata area. Local people tried to apprehend the man but he managed to free himself and flee the area.