After fashion shoot, documentary on acid attack survivors

September 8, 2014

New Delhi, Sep 8: After five acid attack victims -- all women came forward for a designerwear fashion photoshoot by him, photographer Rahul Saharan is now chronicling their moving life stories in a new documentary film.

Acid survivorsThe in-the-works film portrays lives of the six people - all who survived brutal acid attacks and their attempts to get their lives back on the track.

"It does not matter from whichever profession you come, you can always do something for society. I wanted to show how these victims have been fighting with their life, trying to recover, earn money and rehabilitate. I want to spread awareness among people with this film," Sharan told PTI.

Sharan has been associated with the campaign "Stop Acid Attack" and recently conducted a photoshoot with Laxmi, Rupa, Chanchal, Ritu and Sonam -- victims of acid attacks, who posed wearing clothes designed by Rupa.

"I wanted no makeup and editing in the pictures. I wanted them to look beautiful naturally. I tried to change the age long perception of beauty that is fed in the minds of the people," says Sharan.

Laxmi Saa along with Alok Dixit started the "Stop Acid Attack" campaign to regulate the free sale of acid in shops and to help rehabilitate victims.

"We have interviewed six victims for the film set to be around 30 minutes to 40 minutes. We want people to see how much they struggled and how they are overcoming their trials. We hope their stories would spread awareness among people," says Sharan.

The sole male voice in the upcoming film is provided by Chandrahass, who hails from Meerut and who says he was attacked with acid by his wealthy landlord.

The M.Com student, who left an insurance sector job to help his father manage the family shop, says he had a 5 litre bucket of acid thrown on him for reportedly coming to the defence of a girl who was being eveteased.

"The accused has contacts with politicians and that's how he is free. I have mortgaged my things, sold off gold to meet expenses of my treatment and also to hire an advocate after my landlord's son filed a case in which he alleged that I was the one who attacked him with acid," says Chandrahass.

Chandrahass recalls the day when he met with the attack.

"My whole body was burning. I crawled on the streets to save myself from a second bucket of acid. My hair started coming off. I could not see anything neither could I call anyone for help. Water doused on me had a reverse reaction on the burns," recalls Chandrahass.

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Agencies
June 27,2020

Mumbai, Jun 27: The Bombay High Court observed that COVID-19 patients from poor and indigent sections cannot be expected to produce documentary proof to avail subsidised or free treatment while getting admitted to hospitals.

The court on Friday was hearing a plea filed by seven residents of a slum rehabilitation building in Bandra, who had been charged ₹ 12.5 lakh by K J Somaiya Hospital for COVID-19 treatment between April 11 and April 28.

The bench of Justices Ramesh Dhanuka and Madhav Jamdar directed the hospital to deposit ₹10 lakh in the court.

The petitioners had borrowed money and managed to pay ₹10 lakh out of ₹12.5 lakh that the hospital had demanded, after threatening to halt their discharge if they failed to clear the bill, counsel Vivek Shukla informed the court.

According to the plea, the petitioners were also overcharged for PPE kits and unused services.

On June 13, the court had directed the state charity commissioner to probe if the hospital had reserved 20% beds for poor and indigent patients and provided free or subsidised treatment to them.

Last week, the joint charity commissioner had informed the court that although the hospital had reserved such beds, it had treated only three poor or indigent persons since the lockdown.

It was unfathomable that the hospital that claimed to have reserved 90 beds for poor and indigent patients had treated only three such persons during the pandemic, advocate Shukla said.

He further argued that COVID-19 patients, who are in distress, cannot be expected to produce income certificate and such documents as proof.

However, senior advocate Janak Dwarkadas, who represented the hospital, said the petitioners did not belong to economically weak or indigent categories and had not produced documents to prove the same.

A person who is suffering from a disease like COVID-19 cannot be expected to produce certificates from a tehsildar or social welfare officer before seeking admission in the hospital, the bench noted and asked the hospital to deposit ₹10 lakh in court within two weeks.

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News Network
July 28,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 28: Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday alleged that BJP is trying to destabilise the Congress government in Rajasthan.

"It is the duty of the Governor to act according to the decision of the state cabinet. But he is acting like a central government puppet," he said at a protest organised here by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

He said the Congress is protesting across the country to save democracy and save the constitution.

"We are not fighting through violence. We are protesting peacefully. The Constitution has given the right to protest in a democratic system," he said.

He accused the BJP of "being disrespectful" to the Constitution.

"Governments must walk within the framework of the Constitution. The Constitution gives everyone rights and duties. BJP destabilises elected governments and buys our legislators by horse-trading by spending crores of money. The same thing happened in Karnataka as well," he alleged.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued notice to some Bollywood celebrities named in a complaint against the promoter of a company for allegedly blackmailing and sexually assaulting a number of girls on the pretext of giving them a career in modelling.

Taking cognizance of the complaint filed by social activist Yogita Bhayana of People Against Rape in India (PARI), the NCW scheduled a virtual hearing presided by its chairperson on August 6.

The complaint against Sunny Verma, promoter of a company named IMG Ventures with its headquarter in Chandigarh, alleged that he has been blackmailing and sexually assaulting a number of girls on the pretext of giving them career in modelling.

PARI's Yogita Bhayana wrote a complaint letter to NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma.

"Through his company, he (Sunny Verma) invites the girls on the pretext of organising a Miss Asia contest with a claim that the contest will launch them as models. To make it look genuine, his company has also been taking an entry fee of Rs 2,950. Once the girls apply, they are alluded by the female accomplices of Sunny Verma to submit their nude pictures in order to get the better ranking in the contest," the complaint letter said on July 31.

It alleged that Verma, after receiving the pictures and sometimes even before, used to get in touch with the girls and ask for completely nude pictures and videos.

The complaint letter said that Verma also used to allude as well as threaten the girls to submit to his sexual desires if they were interested in modelling as a career or wish to win the contest.

"Once he established a physical relationship with the girls, he used to blackmail them for regular sexual favours. Many girls from across the country have suffered a sexual and mental assault from Sunny and his accomplices," said the complaint citing several letters, texts and audio clips from several girls as proof of this modus operandi of Sunny Verma and his company.

The complaint also said that Sunny Verma has been previously also arrested on charges of sexual assault.

"We would demand that NCW should investigate the case to its depth and get the guilty punished so that any other person should not dare to exploit these kinds of innocent girls on any pretext. It will be a message to people like Sunny Verma and all associated Bollywood stars. Looking forward to strict action from NCW against sexual offenders like Sunny Verma & others," the complaint said.

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