HSC student fights pain to write exam

March 22: The 17-year-old HSC student whose face was partly burnt by acid thrown by his jilted girlfriend on Thursday has managed to fight h...

March 22: The 17-year-old HSC student whose face was partly burnt by acid thrown by his jilted girlfriend on Thursday has managed to fight his pain and appear for other examination papers being held at H R College centre, Churchgate.

Kelvin Singh Kohli was checking the question paper outside the H R College where he had just appeared for the chemistry-II paper when his girlfriend Pinky Joshi arrived. Holding his hand she wanted to know why he had stopped speaking to her. When Kelvin rebuffed her, a livid Pinky threw acid on his face and fled from the scene.

Kelvin initially believed that water was hurled at him. When his skin started burning, he screamed for help. “Seeing his condition, two college students took him to a nearby petrol pump and splashed water on him to lessen the burning sensation. Kelvin was then rushed to Bombay Hospital where he received timely treatment,” informed the boy’s family members.

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Kelvin and Pinky knew each other for over two years as both stayed in the same housingcomplex in Vasai. However, since he had to prepare for the HSC exams Kelvin was asked not to meet or speak to Pinky.

The boy’s shocked family revealed today that the acid was diluted, averting major injuries on Kelvin, a student of KC college. “He still cannot open his left eye and the left side of the face is slightly charred, though the doctors at Bombay Hospital have said that he will recover fully after a plastic surgery,” said Kelvin’s aunt. She added that Principal M H Ajawani of H R college had made special arrangements for Kelvin to appear for his other exam papers. Kelvin is a very bright student and had secured 94 per cent marks in the SSC exams in 1996.

Principal Ajwani told this newspaper on Sunday: “This is for the first time I’m hearing of a girl throwing acid at a boy. However, I have arranged for a separate room to enable Kelvin to appear for the coming exams.” He added that it was commendable that though the boy was in agony, he could appear for the Chemistry-II paper on Friday just aday after the attack, with a bandaged left eye. Cuffe Parade police arrested the girl on Friday and later released her on bail.