Bengaluru tops in acid attacks against women in 2022: NCRB data

Bengaluru witnessed highest number of acid attacks against women in the country in 2022, with the city police registering six cases, the latest report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said.

According to the data, among the 19 metropolitan cities listed in the NCRB data, Bengaluru topped the overall list with eight women falling victims to acid attack last year. At the second position was Delhi which saw seven women falling prey to acid attacks in 2022 followed by Ahmedabad at third position with registration of five such cases, the data showed.

An analysis of the NCRB data showed that the national capital (Delhi) reported 7 cases of attempted attacks followed by Bengaluru which registered 3 such cases last year. Meanwhile, meteropolitan cities like Hyderabad and Ahmedabad registered two such cases of attempted attacks in 2022.

One of the prominent cases of acid attack which shook Bengaluru last year was that of a 24-year-old M.Com graduate who was attacked on April 28 when she was on her way to work. According to police, the accused had been stalking the woman for several years. He approached her for marriage and when she rejected his proposal, he splashed acid on her. The man was nabbed later in May from Tiruvannamalai Ashram where he was allegedly hiding in the guise of a ”Swami”.

In June 2023, the victim was offered a job on contract basis by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s office at his secretariat. Another similar case was reported on June 10, 2022 wherein a man allegedly threw acid on the face of his female friend after she turned down his marriage proposal.