Morinda:
Inderjit Kaur has undergone six reconstruction surgeries, tried to commit suicide twice and finally decided she won't put up with a life brought upon her by an acid attack in December last year. I will fight for justice, says the 24-year-old resident of Morinda in Punjab.
Inderjit's life changed for the worst when Manjit, a man who wanted to marry her, threw acid on her after his wedding proposal was turned down. Manjit belongs to Zirakpur in Punjab.
Inderjit lost one of her eyes in the attack. Doctors are hopeful her other eye can be saved. Inderjit's poor family spent Rs 9 lakh on her reconstruction surgeries and approached the courts, but it's been a far rougher ride that the mother and daughter would have imagined.
The first lawyer they hired never filed any case. The second, they say, tried to put pressure on them to strike a compromise with Manjit, who allegedly made threatening calls from jail after his arrest.
"I feel ashamed to be born in India," says Inderjit, who sees life from behind a veil now. "Had I been born is the US or some other country, such a thing would have never happened."
She says she had thought of committing suicide but decided to fight on so that her case serves as an inspiration for other victims of acid attacks that are so common in India.
Manjit Kaur, Inderjit's mother who cooks at the local gurdwara, says: "My daughter wanted to study further, do an MA and then PhD. She was working in a private company. We had many plans for her."
The family says raising more money for Inderjit's treatment is almost impossible and the courts are their last hope.