Access to industrial acid and compounds remains a concern

Panaji: While the over-the-counter sale of acid has been banned across India, there is little to no monitoring of acid and other corrosive chemicals supplied to manufacturing units throughout the country, including Goa. Preliminary questioning by Goa police revealed that the accused in the Dhargalim acid attack stole the chemical from a factory in Mapusa where he was employed as a gardener.

The heinous crime on Monday has prompted a hard look at additional steps that can be taken to keep acids and industrial chemicals away from anti-social elements. The most common types of acid used in these assaults include sulphuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid.

In 2013, in the wake of rising acid attacks on women, the Supreme Court banned the over-the-counter sale of acid across India.

The Supreme Court also instructed state govts to issue acid-sale licences to select retailers, who were directed to keep a record of those buying acid after verifying govt ID proofs. Despite these checks and balances, one can still buy a bottle of acid online or at a hardware store with little to no verification.

Chemicals such as acids, solvents, and disinfectants are commonly used for industrial purposes, from the production of fertilisers and stabilisation of chemicals to the manufacturing of paper, textiles, optical lenses, and metals. These industrial acids cannot be sold to any person below 18 years and to any person not permitted to hold stocks of acid.

According to the guidelines issued by the ministry of home affairs in 2014, all stocks of acid must be declared by the seller with the sub-divisional magistrate within 15 days. The sub-divisional magistrate has the power to confiscate the stock of acid and impose fines up to Rs 50,000 if the guidelines are breached.