Bhubaneswar, March 8: Mitali Sharma (name changed), 18, has already come face to face with daunting challenges in her young life.

A few days before her Class X exams, a man apparently obsessed with her attacked her with a machete and caused injuries to her face, hands, neck and back. But this did not stop the brave girl from taking her exam. Not only did she take it, she scored an A2 (85 to 90 per cent).

Two years later, the scars haven’t been allowed to heal. Her family members have complained that the person who had attacked her had been harassing them even after he was sentenced to two years imprisonment last year.

Mitali, who is appearing for her Class XII CBSE science examination, was attacked by Santosh Pradhan, 30, a few days before her Class X exam in February 2011.

Additional district judicial magistrate, Khurda, convicted the accused on February 28 last year. He was sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 500. But later, he appealed before a higher court against the verdict and secured bail.

“While he was in jail, he used to make people call us on my daughter’s previous mobile number. After he secured bail, he called us from different numbers,” said Mitali’s father, adding that he had lodged a complaint with Saheed Nagar police in August last year, but the police did not register the complaint.

“As the harassment grew, I lodged complaints with the police once again in January and the inspector registered a case. He not only assured me of action against the accused, but also conducted raids twice at Pradhan’s native place. But they could not nab him,” said the father, who practices law in Bhubaneswar court.

Mitali said she was not happy with the lower court’s verdict. “Three years imprisonment is very little punishment for someone who tried to kill me. I am just a girl and I did not approve of his advances. He should have been given more stringent punishment. In the higher court, I expect his jail term to be increased,” she said. The girl and her father said some of the eyewitnesses did not give their statements out of fear.

She said that ever since the incident occurred, she had stopped growing her hair, as on that fateful evening the accused had caught hold of her hair, which was then waist length, and attacked her with a machete. She said that it was because of her hair that she could not escape from her attacker.

“I am a brave girl and love to travel alone. But after that incident, my family members do not let me go anywhere alone. His phone calls make my family members apprehensive about my safety. Sometimes I too lose confidence and feel unsafe,” said Mitali. She said that after her Class XII exams, she would join a martial arts training camp to learn the art of self-defence.