Resham Fatma from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, has shown extraordinary courage and perseverance in the face of adversity. An acid attack survivor, she has been selected for the prestigious British government-funded Chevening Scholarship, through which she will pursue higher studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She has become the first acid attack survivor from India to achieve this milestone. (Image: LinkedIn)

A resident of Ranchi, Fatma was attacked with acid in 2014 when she was just 17 years old. Fatma was studying in Class 11 and living with her grandparents in Lucknow when the incident occurred. Her mother’s cousin, Riyaz, who was around 20 years older than her, had proposed marriage to her. After she rejected his proposal, he allegedly attacked her with acid in February 2014. (Image: LinkedIn)

According to media reports, Riyaz had offered to drop Resham home after her coaching class. Trusting him as a family member, she accepted the offer. However, instead of taking her home, he drove towards the highway and allegedly poured an entire bottle of acid over her head. Initially, she believed it was gasoline, but soon realised something was terribly wrong as she felt a severe burning sensation. Resham recalled that Riyaz then took out a knife and held it against her neck. (Image: LinkedIn)

She described that moment as one when she felt she was facing death, but she gathered courage, pushed him away, and ran for help. The pain from the burning sensation was unbearable. An auto-rickshaw driver stopped, and she pleaded for assistance, telling him that her family would compensate him for helping her. As the burning continued, she removed her jeans inside the auto because she felt her skin was on fire. The driver covered her legs with a cloth and helped her. (Image: LinkedIn)

When Resham reached a nearby police station, a crowd gathered, but no one initially came forward to take her to a hospital. Eventually, an elderly man stepped in and took her for medical treatment. Following the attack, her life became a difficult balance between hospital visits and continuing her studies. Despite these challenges, she completed Class 12 with 87% marks. (Image: LinkedIn)

Resham later earned a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Physics from Jamia Millia Islamia in 2018. In 2015, she was honoured with the National Bravery Award during the Republic Day celebrations for her courage. After completing her UG degree, she initially planned to prepare for the civil services but later pursued a postgraduate degree in Politics and International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). She also spent three years preparing for the UPSC examination but could not clear the preliminary stage in 2022. (Image: Instagram/@resham_fatma)

In 2023, while studying at JNU, Resham founded the Ebrah Foundation, an initiative aimed at supporting young Muslim women through education, career guidance, and financial empowerment. In 2024, she married Asghar, who encouraged her to apply for the Chevening Scholarship and pursue her academic aspirations. She will now study MSc in Gender, Development and Globalisation at the London School of Economics. (Image: Instagram/@resham_fatma)