Guwahati: In a shocking incident, unidentified miscreants hurled acid at a senior advocate in Assam’s Kokrajhar district on Friday.

The incident took place in the Gossaigaon area in the district.

The victim has been identified as Abdus Samad Ahmed, a resident of Padmabil village under the Gossaigaon sub-division. He is a senior advocate of the Gossaigaon Lawyer’s Association.

As per sources, the incident occurred when some miscreants entered Abdus’s home unalarmed and threw acid on his face.

Following the incident, the advocate was rushed to the RNB Civil Hospital, however, due to deterioration in his health, later he was shifted to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for better treatment.

A case has been registered in the police station and an investigation has been launched.

Meanwhile, the lawyer’s association has urged the concerned police department to initiate a probe into the matter and take stern action against the culprits.

On December 26, 2022, a woman in Assam’s Sonitpur district was allegedly attacked with acid by a businessman. She sustained burn injuries in the attack.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2021 has revealed that the state recorded nine cases of acid attacks on women in 2021, up from two in 2020.

In the last five years, 1,362 acid attacks were reported in the country, according to NCRB data. In 2021, as per the latest available data, 176 acid attacks were reported, along with 73 “attempts to acid attack”. West Bengal reported the highest number of acid attacks (34), followed by Uttar Pradesh (22), and Rajasthan (15).

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, the Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra said, the Centre has issued advisories to all States and Union Territories to review the rules and ensure that retail sales of acids and chemicals are strictly regulated in terms of the Poison Rules so that these are not used in crime.