Sonali Mukherjee

Sonali Mukherjee

Sonali Mukherjee was a bright 17-year-old student from Dhanbad, who loved studying and was pursuing her Sociology Honours, until a tragic summer night changed her life forever.
Regularly teased and stalked by a disgruntled suitor and his friends in the neighborhood, she decided to take a stand and protest, despite their death threats. In a fit of rage and anger, three assailants attacked Sonali Mukherjee, while she was asleep, with acid. Deeply damaged and disfigured as a result of the assault, Sonali became partially blind, deaf and even had trouble eating. The pain was unbearable both mentally and physically.
While her attackers roam free, this former NCC Cadet has undergone 22 operations. While most people in her situation would go into a hiding, Sonali choose otherwise. She participated in India’s popular TV quiz show, Kaun Banega Crorepati and winning 25 lakhs, which she plans to use for the next round of her surgery.

Inside Story- The constant support of her family has given Sonali hope to continue her fight for life. The journey since the incident has not been easy; her family had to sell their ancestral land, her mother’s jewellery and move to New Delhi for her treatment and are under huge financial pressure.
Sonali would like the law against acid attackers to be made more stringent and appeals to ‘help people like her’. She still awaits justice, as her assailants roam around scot free.

Quote “It’s easy for victims like me to give up but I choose to stand up and speak against violence. I am a proud survivor and will continue my fight.”