Delhi acid attack case: Agra-based company sold chemical to accused, Flipkart tells Delhi police

New Delhi: E-commerce giant Flipkart on Monday responded to the Delhi Police inquiry and said that the acid seller is an Agra-based company. The police are yet to investigate the details given by the company. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued a notice to e-commerce entities Flipkart and Meesho for violations relating to the sale of acid reported on their platforms and sought an explanation within seven days. The move came after a 17-year-old girl in the Dwarka area of Delhi was attacked with acid while she was going to her school on December 14, 2022. The girl has been referred to Safdarjung Hospital and is currently undergoing treatment. The police have arrested all the accused in the case.

"The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) under the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has taken strong action on violations of consumer rights. In a run-up to the increasing crimes in society, CCPA took stringent action to safeguard consumer interests," the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said in a release on Friday.

Earlier on December 16, the National Human Rights Commission took a suo motu cognizance of the acid incident in Delhi and sought detailed reports within four weeks from the Police Commissioner, Chief Secretary of the government.

"NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of the media reports that two masked men threw acid on a 17-year-old girl on her way to school in West Delhi on December 14, 2022. Reportedly, the victim was admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital ICU," an official statement said.

The statement said that prima facie, it appears that there is "culpable negligence" on the part of the public servant for failing to regulate the sale of acid(s) within whose territorial jurisdiction the incident took place.

"Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, Commissioner of Police, and the Member Secretary, State Legal Services Authorities calling for detailed specific reports within four weeks," it said.

"The Chief Secretary is expected to inform regarding the rehabilitation, counselling, compensation, free-of-cost treatment, including plastic surgery of the victim if any, and the other measures, which are necessary to be taken," it added.

The statement said that the report must also contain the details of the sale of acid, in the instant case, through e-wallet, and the persons responsible for the sale of such banned substance in contravention of the law of the land.

"The report should also specifically mention the compensation amount paid or to be paid as per the guidelines of the Victim Compensation Scheme," it said. According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police has been asked to submit the details of the FIR in the matter which should mention the penal offenses invoked, the progress of the investigation, the larger conspiracy in the instant case, and the details of the accused persons arrested.

"The report must also mention the preventive actions, initiated by Delhi Police, to inhibit such reoccurrence of acid attacks in Delhi," it said.

"The Member Secretary, State Legal Services Authority, Delhi, should mention the steps taken regarding the Victim Compensation Scheme and its publicity so that acid attack victim(s) in the National Capital may seek benefits under it. The report must also contain the actual compensation paid in the instant case under the scheme of SLSA, Delhi in the case of an acid attack," the statement added.