Acid attack victim whose face ‘melted away’ in a horror ordeal gives birth to ‘life changing’ baby girl
Sonali Mukherjee's joy comes after a decade-long journey of physical and emotional pain which included dozens of reconstructive ops
ACID attack survivor Sonali Mukherjee whose face 'melted away' in a horror ordeal more than a decade ago has become the mother of a healthy baby girl.
Sonali gave birth via caesarean section at a private hospital in Bokaro, eastern India, the same town where she suffered the devastating attack 14 years ago.
The proud mother - who was blinded in the attack - and her husband have now called their 7lb new arrival 'Pari' or Fairy.
"We are blessed with a little fairy. I can't express my happiness and this is surely the happiest day of my life," said Sonali.
"Being a mother is really an amazing feeling and the moment I touched her face I was overwhelmed with emotions and I felt like I got my face back. Everyone is saying she resembles me.
"I can hear her cry and feel her. This is special feeling, although I can't see her but she has already brought light to my dark world."
Sonali, an aspiring psychology student was only 17 when she had her face severely disfigured and lost her eyesight after three men splashed a jug of acid on her face in revenge for spurning their advances.
What followed was a harrowing decade-long journey of physical and emotional pain which included at least 28 reconstructive surgeries.
The three attackers - Tapas Mitra, Sanjay Paswan and Bhrahmadev Hajra - were arrested and convicted to nine years jail, but released after just three.
For a while Sonali gave up hope as her family struggled to fund her expensive treatment, prompting her to seek permission for euthanasia four years ago.