A 36-year-old teacher, Lakhwinder Kaur, was critically injured when her inebriated nephew threw acid on her while she was teaching in a government primary school at Mahimdipur village in the Ghuman police station area of Batala.Two children, aged 4 and 6, sitting nearby, were also injured when accused Tejbir Singh committed the crime.As soon as she started teaching, the accused hurled a bottle of acid on her, severely burning her face. Doctors at a private hospital, where she is being treated, say the condition of the teacher is critical. “The severity of being hurt by acid is of enormous proportions which leaves the victim with visible scars and severe emotional challenges,” said a doctor.The police have arrested the accused.Batala SSP Mehtab Singh said, “I immediately dispatched a team to look into the sequence of events leading to the crime. We have arrested the nephew.”The incident triggered panic in the school.Police sources said the accused was a drug addict. “His addiction to an assortment of narcotic substances is well-known. We are investigating the case from all angles. Earlier, there were rumours that the woman teacher had been stabbed,” the SSP said.“It is one of the most violent forms of assault we have seen in recent months. We are probing whether the accused intended to kill her,” he said.