UP: Sheroes Café Asked to Vacate Space, Acid Attack Survivors Resolve to Fight

The 31-year-old acid attack survivor says that she is in depression due to the notice served by the government to vacate the land allotted to the cafe Sheroes Hangout, besides the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation office.

“We are upset due to the notices being served to our non-profit, and calls made to our colleagues from the other party that claims to have got the tender of this property from the government. It is not just me who is upset, but every single person who is linked to Sheroes has lost sleep. This does not mean that we will not fight. We will fight till our last breath,” says Pravin, adding that she is a shero (an amalgamation of the words ‘she’ and ‘hero’), and that the sheroes can never be defeated.

“If we can get over the trauma of acid attack, then this is nothing,” she said.

According to reports, Mahila Kalyan Nigam department of the Uttar Pradesh government had served a notice to the Chhanv Foundation – an NGO behind the Sheroes Café venture, launched in order to help survivors of acid attack – to vacate the place on September 26 last, and they were given a three-day-deadline for it.

According to Ashish Shukla, director of Chhanv Foundation and caretaker of Sheroes Cafe in Lucknow, the government was not at all interested in running this café, and it wants the acid attack survivors to find work under the skill development mission of the government.

“Many attempts have been made to get our cafe shut ever since this government came to power in the state. From day one, different people from different departments have been working to snatch this place from the Chhanv Foundation. Earlier, the payments were delayed, and now they have said that there was no need to run the place,” said Shukla.

He also said that the notice given to them by the Mahila Kalyan Nigam on September 22 says that there was no reason to run the unit, and time till September 29 was given to vacate the place.

“Earlier, (UP Women and Child Development Minister) Rita Bahuguna ji assured us that the Sheroes will continue to run at the same place, but later we got to know that a tender to run this place was given to a firm called ‘Lotus’,” said Shukla.

He alleged that the survivors who are working at Sheroes Hangout are receiving calls from the employees of Lotus, and are being asked to work for them.

“We do not know what Lotus is, but we have received many calls from them and they are convincing us to stop working for the Chhanv Foundation, and start working with them,” claims Farah Khan, another acid attack survivor, working with Sheores.

“We know that you people do not get salaries on time, and receive very less amount. Stop working for them, and start a new inning with us. I assure that the payment will be given on time, and I can give this to you in written. This is what they are telling the survivors,” added Khan.

The 27-year-old divorcee and an acid attack survivor, narrating her ordeal, said that the Lucknow’s Sheroes was started from scratch, and alleged that the government is trying to hijack the place because it was not able to digest the fact that this place is being run successfully without much support from the government.

“This government has been saying a lot about ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, but from their actions, it looks like they do not care at all. Everyone knows that an acid attack victim has to undergo treatment for a very long time. Our treatment requires a lot of money, and if we will keep on struggling in building our Sheroes from scratch again and again, then how we will concentrate on making our lives better,” said Khan.

She maintained that none of the 12 survivors at the Sheroes has been trained under the Skill India Mission.

“We do not get private jobs because we have scars on our face. We have been working here as waitresses, accountants and cooks. We do not know stitching and tailoring and the government now wants us to work in that department. We are not ready for it, and if this place is snatched from us, then we will run a cart in front of this place,” she said.

“We will not starve. I promise. We are sheroes, and we will rise again,” she concluded.

Meanwhile, people from different walks of life in Lucknow have come out in support of the cafe Sheroes, and protests are being staged to save the cafe.

Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi said, “Depriving the acid attack victims of their employment and business is improper by all standards.” The Previous Samajwadi Party government had helped the acid attack survivors, and Sheroes came into existence, while the present BJP government has no concerns for the women's welfare, he added.

“Depriving of livelihood is negation of the human rights of acid attack victims. I urge the government to reconsider the case of Sheroes, and hand the charge of Sheroes back to these survivors,” said Gandhi.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Raj Babbar has also resolved to launch a stir to save the cafe.