Vidya’s last wish for her eyes to be donated was fulfilled soon after her death in 2013. Now, her mother's wish too has been fulfilled. “If he is hanged, he would not know how much my daughter suffered. He should spend his entire life in prison. Only then would he know how much suffering she had gone through,” Vidya’s mother Saraswathi told The New Indian Express.
On Wednesday, a court in Chengalpet, Tamil Nadu, awarded life sentence to Vijaya Bhasker, the man who took the life of a 21-year-old woman in Chennai by throwing acid at her in 2013.
When Vidya turned down his marriage proposal on January 30th, Vijay Bhasker hurled acid at her in her work place in Adambakkam when she was alone.
Angered that she managed to save her face from burns, Vijay, who worked as a catering staff in an IT company pushed her down and rubbed her face against the spilt acid before locking her in and trying to escape.
He was soon caught and beaten up by neighbours who came to rescue the screaming woman.
Vidya died on 24th February 2013 after battling for her life for 25 days in Government Kilpauk Hospital. Her last wish was that her eyes be donated.
Vidya was the second acid attack victim to die within a fortnight in Tamil Nadu. After her death, an advocate produced before the Madras High Court, a few bottles of lethal acids that he had bought off the shelf in the city to prove how easily one can procure this dangerous substance. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa soon announced that she would pass an ordinance to regulate the sale of acids across the counter in the state.