Kalol auto driver gets 15 years in jail for acid attack on home guards

Ahmedabad: A sessions court in Kalol has sentenced an autorickshaw driver to 15 years' imprisonment, and has fined him Rs 1 lakh after holding him guilty of an acid attack on home guards last year.In its order, the court quoted the 18th couplet from the seventh chapter of the Manusmriti and paraphrased it by saying, "Strict punishment is required to maintain law and order in society. Particularly when a person works for society and when he is under attack, it is necessary to punish the aggressor so that it works as a deterrent for others." On July 18, 2025, Ashok Ravat, 37, an autorickshaw driver in Kalol, parked his auto in the middle of the road, creating a hindrance for traffic. A group of home guards, including a woman guard, asked him to remove his vehicle. Ravat left the place in anger and returned after an hour with a bottle of acid. Ravat threw the acid on them. The female guard suffered injuries to her back, and one of her colleagues also got burns. Ravat was nabbed and booked under BNS, for acid attack and causing grievous hurt to a public servant. Additional sessions judge B R Rajput held Ravat guilty. While sentencing him, the court said, "This attack is not a mere acid attack, but an attack on the state's security and on those govt servants who maintain law and order. If such attackers are not shown their limits, such attacks on the state will continue and it would adversely affect the morale of govt employees. A stern message should be sent that such an attack can never be tolerated."