Three minor girls were attacked with some chemical on their faces while they were sleeping in their house in a village in Gonda district, police said on Tuesday.
While the family said the girls had acid thrown on their faces, police are yet to identify the chemical and have launched a forensic examination.
The incident took place in Parsapur area of the district.
Father of the girls Gurhai said it took place at 1:30 am on Tuesday. He was sleeping on the verandah on the ground floor while the three girls were sleeping on the first floor, he said.
He said he had no clue about who attacked the girls and suspects that the suspects used a ladder to climb up to the room from the other side.
“When my daughters screamed, I immediately opened the door and grabbed one of them. When my vest burned, I got to know that somebody had thrown acid at them”, he told a local news channel.
Shailesh Kumar Pandey, SP Gonda, said the eldest daughter suffered 30% burns, while the other two suffered 20% and 5-7% burn injuries.
Out of danger
All the three girls were out of danger and receiving treatment at a hospital, said police.
Mr. Pandey said the family did not have any idea about who could have done the act as they did not have any known animosity. He, however, suspects the miscreant may be from the nearby kasba.
An FIR would be registered, said Mr. Pandey.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted on the incident. “The U.P. government’s politically motivated narrative of justifying and protecting perpetrators of crimes against women has only emboldened criminals across the state”, she said.
