NEW DELHI: Shakuntala Malik, the mother of the 23-year-old woman who was brutally stabbed in south Delhi's Lado Sarai area earlier this month, on Friday requested the government to provide them financial support.
"We are only getting sympathy, but we need financial support from the government. Any official can visit our house to know in what conditions we are staying. Even a little help can be very big for us. I want my daughter to be fine and to start her normal life again," Malik said.
"I am only earning Rs 7,000 a month working as a house help and my daughter was earning Rs 12,000. After the attack, neither she nor I am able to pay even our house rent," she said.
The woman was allegedly stabbed several times by a 27-year-old man on October 12. The accused was arrested from the spot and the woman was rushed to a nearby hospital in a bloodied state with more than 13 cuts and stabs on her face, thighs, and fingers.
"No one understands our condition. My daughter had already lost a lot of blood. However, she was discharged on Wednesday. The doctors suggested her to take eggs, juice, and protein rich food. Our income is only Rs 19,000, including my daughters' income. Now, she is not able to go to the office, neither am I as I need to take care of her. How will she survive?" said Malik.
The woman, now back at her home and on a liquid diet, said she was in a relationship with Gaurav Pal, the accused, but had decided to end that relationship when he began insisting she stay at home and quit work.
"He was against my independent life. He wanted me to get married and sit in his house. I always wanted to support my mother. Even after the incident, he threatened me saying he would kill me when he returns from jail. Police must ensure he does not even come out of the prison," she said.
The woman said that she has seen the video of the stabbing recorded by a passerby.
"That time I was feeling so helpless. I was groaning in pain. Had the man not stabbed me on my leg, I would have gone to the hospital on my own. People were busy talking to him, asking him why he stabbed me instead of rushing me to the hospital," she said.
The woman said that the accused had called her around 8 am the day before the incident and she had told him that she was in her office and busy with some project, but he continued to call her.
"Finally, I switched off my phone. When I came out of my office, I turned on my phone and started getting calls again from him. I blocked his number. The next day all this happened," she said.
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With everyone crediting the cab driver, who nabbed the accused, the woman said: "The cab driver was in fear. I was shouting inside the cab for help. But he watched the entire episode as a mute spectator. Had he caught the man in time, I would have been hurt less."
In May, a 16-year-old girl was stabbed more than 20 times and bludgeoned to death by a youth in northwest Delhi's Shahbad Dairy area. The accused, Sahil, 20, was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr.
He and the victim were in a "relationship" but had a quarrel.
The victim had gone shopping when she was accosted by the accused in the densely populated neighbourhood.
