Disfigured acid attack victim marries after finding true love from man who saw story on television

A woman who suffered horrific burns and lost her eyesight after having acid thrown in her face because she turned down the sexual advances of three men has married the love of her life.

Brave Sonali Mukherjee-Tiwari, 29, was left with 70 per cent burns to her face when three teenagers broke into her home and threw acid over her after they branded her ‘arrogant’ for turning them down.

Sonali, who was just 17 at the time, was forced to endure more than 28 different surgical procedures as medics battled to limit the damage the acid had done to her skin in the 2003 attack.

Having been left blind and disfigured, Sonali spent much of the next decade hiding in her parents home, but following a number of appearances on TV in India, her story touched the heart of one viewer so deeply, he had to get in touch.

After a period of getting to know each other, Sonali and 29-year-old Chittaranjan Tiwari fell in love and tied the knot on Wednesday.

Sonali said: “I never believed marriage would happen to me. I was building myself up for a life time alone.

“I’ve spent the last ten years building my strength and independence but this is a dream come true.”

Electrical engineer Chittaranjan first clapped eyes on his future wife in 2013 on a TV crime programme and felt compelled to get in touch.

He managed to find her mobile phone number on the internet and decided to get in touch with her.

Sonali said: “Lots of people get in touch with me and wish me well, I thought Chittaranjan was just another well wisher.

“He was very kind and said some very lovely words and we just kept in touch. Over time we got very friendly.”

Over the coming months, the couple would continue talking for hours on the phone and got increasingly close until Chittaranjan decided to pop the question.

Sonali said: “One day last year he proposed; I couldn’t believe it. They were words I never imagined I would hear.

“I was in so much shock I told him I had to think about it. I asked him ‘why do you want to marry me; I’m blind?’ and he answered saying that if two people were married and there was a tragic accident they would not separate, they’d stand by one another so this was the same thing.

 

“He told me I was a complete woman for him and that was amazing to hear. I never thought a man would ever say that to me.”

After Sonali spoke to her parents she eventually said yes and they are now legally married - but are still organising a big reception to celebrate.

She said: "I never thought I could trust another man after my father. He has looked after me so well since the attack and now it’s time for someone else to take my hand. My father needs a break.

"Chittaranjan is a very emotional and sensitive man and I’m happy for him to take my hand."

Sonali was just 17, in April 2003, when three boys broke into her house in Dhanbad city and threw acid over her because she had rejected them.

The teenager received no state funding after being severely disfigured and was left to get on with her life.

As part of an attempt to raise cash to fund surgery, the brave woman appeared on India’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in 2013 and won £30,000.

She said: “I participated for two reasons. I needed the money but I wanted the world to know what an acid attack victim goes through and looks like in this country."

At the time, host and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, called her the ‘epitome of courage’ for ‘continuing her fight against the odds.’

Her father Chandidas Mukherjee, 58, has spent 1.5 million rupees on her treatment. He only earned about 5,000 (£50) rupees a month, so he sold the family land, cattle, jewellery, and used their savings and took out loans to pay the huge medical fees.

Chandidas said: “Being the head of the family I couldn't afford to break down after the attack. My father died of shock and my wife fell into depression. I have always had to stay strong for Sonali. Her determination is infectious.”

Sonali lived with her father, in Delhi, for ongoing treatment, while her mother Nilima, 51, lived back in their family home in Jharkhand.

She fought for a government job and last year she was finally granted a clerical job in the welfare department of the Bokaro deputy commissioner's office, in Jharkhand Government.

Sonali has recently been flying back and forth to the US for ongoing treatment to her face, eyes and ears, at Massachusetts Eye and Ear infirmary and Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston.

But now Sonali and her husband need to decide their future.

She said: “We want to go to Mumbai for our honeymoon and then we need to decide where we will live.“I never thought marriage would happen to me. But if someone wants to hold my hand and support me in this life then I should give him a chance.

“I now need to get used to my new name. I am no longer just Mukherjee, I am Mukherjee-Tiwari. This is a dream come true.”