Srinagar:
Leaders across the political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday condemned the acid attack on a woman in the city, terming it "anti-human" and "moral degradation" and demanded harshest punishment for the accused involved in the case.
State secretary of CPI(M) M Y Tarigami said the incident should be taken as a wakeup call for the government and the society.
"This incident should not be taken in isolation but it reflects the state of crime against women in Kashmir.
The police should not take this case causally but instead complete the investigations without delay," Mr Tarigami said in a statement in Srinagar.
Mr Tarigami said the guilty deserve harshest punishment so that it acts as a deterrent for any such incidents in future and demanded a speedy trial into the case.
Chairman of Hardline faction of Hurriyat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani expressed grief and concern over the attack, terming it "anti-human" and "immoral".
Demanding strictest punishment to the guilty, Mr Geelani said such incidents have no place in the society as it is an attack on humanity.
JKLF chairman Yasin Malik also condemned the incident, saying the attack has exhibited the moral degradation in the society.
A 30-year-old school teacher suffered injuries when she was attacked with acid by a man in the city's posh locality on Srinagar airport road on Wednesday.
The man identified as Riyaz Ahmad was later arrested by the police.
The woman was admitted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar and her condition is said to be stable.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association on Thursday decided not to provide legal aid to the man, arrested in connection with the incident.
"The Bar Association has decided that the accused person will not be provided any legal aid," a statement of the association said after a meeting of the Executive Committee in Srinagar.
The association said all the legal aid will be provided to the victim so that the real culprits are punished in accordance with law.