CHANDIGARH: Seven years after an acid attack visually impaired her and brought life to a standstill, 30-year-old Inderjeet Kaur of Mohali has started a new innings of her life as a banker.

Kaur, whose petition before the Punjab and Haryana high court had led to the formulation of policies for financial assistance for acid attack survivors in the states of Punjab and Haryana, has joined as a clerk in Canara Bank ’s Delhi office.

Besides injuries on her face and other body parts, Kaur had also lost her eyesight in the December 2011 attack. “Except my mother, no other relative — not even my brother — supported me in my fight against the perpetrators. I had to leave studies and felt completely isolated. I used to cry all the ti- me,” she told TOI.

“The villagers and relatives would tell me that I’ve become a burden on the family and society. Then I decided to do something and joined the National Institute for Visually Handicapped in Dehradun ,” Kaur added.

The survivor turned a new leaf in Dehradun, where she learnt reading techniques through audio recordings and went on to complete her graduation in 2016. Following that, she appeared twice for the banking service examination and finally cleared the test in her third attempt in June 2018. Selected under the visually-impaired category, Kaur has been posted in Delhi.

A native of Mohali’s Marauli Kalan village, Kaur was like any other college student till Manjit Singh of Zirakpur — whose marriage proposal she had rejected — entered her house and poured acid on her. Besides losing her eyesight, Kaur suffered grievous wounds on her face, neck, hands and other body parts.

Before the attack, Kaur would tutor children, but her vision loss cost her the only source of livelihood. Unable to afford specialised treatment like plastic surgery, she approached the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking compensation for her treatment and rehabilitation. In response to her plea, the states of Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh agreed to give free treatment and compensation to acid attack victims.

