Vignesh Bhagale said, “While we were walking to our tuition classes near 90 Feet Road, I noticed a group of boys walking right behind us. Suddenly, one of them came forward and flung the acid on my back. Soon, my back started burning.”

After the attack, he and his friend Akash, who also sustained minor burns, chased after the group. “They managed to slip away in the crowds a few minutes later,” said Vignesh, a Std XII student of Kirti College.

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“While I remember that the boys were not older than me, I didn’t recognise anyone and wasn’t able to tell how many of them were walking together,” he added.

Vignesh managed to get a lift halfway to Sion Hospital, after which he walked to the casualty department. “A biker dropped me till Dharavi Bridge, from where I walked to the hospital though I was in tremendous pain. My aunt Indu came and completed the paperwork for my admission,” added Vignesh.

Vignesh’s mother Hirabai said, “We are quite sure that my brother-in-law Mahadev is responsible for this incident. I’d separated from my husband eight years ago, following which there has been an ongoing property dispute.”

A case has been registered in Dharavi police station, and the unidentified assailant has been booked under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC. An inspector from the police station said, “We have filed a case and further investigations are on.”u00a0