50 litres of acid found in Daryaganj public toilet seized following DCW inspection

Around 50 litres of acid found in a can lying in a public toilet in Central Delhi's Daryaganj area has been seized following a surprise inspection led by Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, officials said on Friday.

The inspection was conducted on Thursday night.

Maliwal shared a video on Twitter in which she can be seen scolding the staffers and management of the public toilet after finding the acid there.

"You will be shocked to see what was found during the toilet inspection in Daryaganj last night. Found 50 litres of acid lying in the open in a toilet in Central Delhi.

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"Think how many lives could have been ruined. Police were called and the acid was seized. We are seeking answers from MCD and action will be taken against the culprits," Maliwal tweeted in Hindi.

In December 2022, two masked men on a bike flung acid on a 17-year-old who was attacked minutes after she left her West Delhi home for school, leading to widespread condemnation and a call for an effective way to monitor those buying it.

In view of the increase in the number of acid attacks, the Supreme Court in 2013 banned over-the-counter sale of acid at retail outlets and ordered a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to be paid by state governments to each acid attack victim.

Over-the-counter sale of acid no longer takes place in Delhi. Chemicals like sulphuric acid and nitric acid are available for industrial purposes but licenses are required for their sale and purchase.

Delhi reported 11 acid attack cases in 2018 and 10 in 2019. The national capital saw only two cases in 2020 when the country was under a lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. In India, 228 cases were reported in 2018, followed by 249 the next year and 182 in 2020, according to data.