The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and Delhi Police issued a notice to e-commerce majors- Flipkart and Amazon after it was found that the acid used to attack the 17-year-old girl in west Delhi on Wednesday was procured from Flipkart. Meanwhile, Flipkart on Thursday condemned the acid attack on the schoolgirl and said it has blacklisted the seller from its platform and is extending all support to the probe agencies.
Three people -- prime accused Sachin Arora and his two friends Harshit Aggarwal (19) and Virender Singh (22) -- have been arrested for the acid attack on the girl.
Meanwhile, doctors at Safdarjung Hospital informed that the acid attack survivor continues to remain in the Burns ICU and is conscious. "The patient is conscious, well-oriented and afebrile. She has suffered eight per cent chemical burns on the face. Her eyes have also been affected. Treatment is on. Ophthalmologists are also providing conservative and supportive treatment. She continues to be in the Burns ICU," a senior doctor said.
In a show-cause notice to Flipkart and Amazon, the DCW said that the accused bought acid through Flipkart. The DCW said it has learnt that acid is easily available on leading online shopping platforms such as 'Amazon' and 'Flipkart' which is illegal. "The ease of availability of acid on online platforms is a matter of grave concern and needs to be checked urgently," it said. The DCW has sought urgent steps in this regard.
In the letter, the DCW chief Swati Maliwal women's panel has asked the online shopping giants: "Please inform the reason for the availability of acid on the e-shopping platform. Please provide complete details of the sellers who have placed acid as a 'product' on your platform."
"The commission has sought reasons for availability of acid on the e-commerce platform along with details of sellers who have placed 'acid' as a product on their platform. The Commission has also asked whether licence of the seller was checked before posting the acid product on the online platform. It has also sought a copy of the licence obtained by the platforms for selling acid online," the statement added. It has asked whether the photo IDs of those purchasing acid online were sought. The DCW has also sought a complete list of the purchasers along with their photo IDs.
"The Commission has also sought a copy of the policy adopted by the platform regarding sale of Government regulated products online," it added. It has further asked the portals details of steps taken for removing restricted items, including acid from the online portal. The portals have been asked to furnish the information by December 20.
The Delhi Police had also issued a notice to Flipkart after it found that the acid was procured from the e-commerce firm.
"We strongly condemn this unfortunate incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family. The Flipkart marketplace platform closely monitors and delists products that violate expected standards. Strict action is taken against sellers who are found to be engaged in selling products that are illegal, unsafe, and prohibited. The concerned seller has been blacklisted, and we are extending all support to the concerned authorities in their investigation," Flipkart said in a statement. As outrage spread over the attack, many also raised questions over the availability of acid in markets despite a ban.