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Gujarat Girl Lost Sight In Acid Attack, Now Aspires To Become IAS Officer
Writer: Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
Gujarat, 29 Dec 2021 6:17 AM GMT
Editor : Palak Agrawal |
Palak a journalism graduate believes in simplifying the complicated and writing about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. She calls herself a " hodophile" or in layman words- a person who loves to travel.
Creatives : Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
On February 14, 2016, Hardik Prajapati, an engineering student, came on his bike and threw acid on her face, chest and arms near her college in Mehsana, Gujarat. Kajal Prajapati was then a first-year commerce student. Her face was disfigured and she lost her vision in one eye.
Kajal Prajapati had acid thrown on her face after she rejected a man's proposal. She was subjected to 27 operations before she could see the world again with one eye.
However, the incident couldn't shatter Kajal's dream of studying and pursuing her goal. Six years later, the brave young girl not only resumed her studies but is also aspiring to become an IAS officer.
"I turned down the proposal because I wanted to focus on my studies. He ruined my life," the acid-attack survivor told The New Indian Express.
On February 14, 2016, Hardik Prajapati, an engineering student, came on his bike and threw acid on her face, chest, and arms near her college in Mehsana, Gujarat. Kajal was then a first-year commerce student. Her face was disfigured and she lost her vision.
"My face burned like anything. I was unable to open my eyes. The doctors didn't think I would ever be able to regain my vision," Kajal recalled. Daughter of a rickshaw driver, Kajal aspired to become a police officer since her childhood.
Sharing the incident, she said that the boy was from the same caste and would visit her college every day and stalk her.
"On Valentine's Day, he offered me a flower and said he loved me. After I rejected his proposal, he left in a huff and returned after my classes were over to throw acid on me," Kajal told TNIE.
Beating The Odds
What followed was a series of painful operations. After the 18th operation, doctors said that her one eye was completely damaged, but there was a hope she could see with the other. Kajal recalls going through the plastic surgery also as people got scared of her face.
After a gap of nearly six years, the survivor is now back in her first-year class in college. "I told my father that I wanted to study again and he agreed. I aspire to become an IAS officer so I could protect other girls. No girl should go through what I had to suffer," she said.
Kajal had received an assistance of Rs 3 lakh from the state government, while her parents have spent over Rs 15 lakh on her treatment. They even had to sell their household items to get their daughter treated. Though the court sentenced the accused Hardik to life imprisonment, Kajal believes she can never forget what she endured.
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