Chutni Mahato Survivor and Saviour

Hailing from the Bholadih village(130 kms from Ranchi) in Birbans panchayat of the Seraikela-Kharsawan district in Jharkhand, Chutni was married at the age of 12. With education not a strong point in the villages of India even today, this wasn’t out of the ordinary for Mahato and so many other women in villages. But what followed soon after altered Mahato’s life forever.

In 1995, when the daughter of her elder brother-in-law fell ill, a village quack said that it was Mahato who had caused the illness as she was a witch and the villagers also fell for the accusation.

On December 3, 1995, the village panchayat was held and the head of panchayat fined her a sum of ₹500 holding her responsible for the disease. Fearing the bullies, Chutni paid the fine. After this, when the sick girl did not recover, the next day on December 4, 40 to 50 people attacked her house together. Dragged her out, torn her clothes. Not only this, she was beaten fiercely. Excreta and urine were thrown on her. Even an attempt was made to feed her filth. They made her drink urine and even made her walk around in the village semi-naked.

After the incident, even her own people did not support her. It became difficult for her to live in her in-laws house as well. Even the husband left her. Taking three children along with her, Chhutni left the village in the middle of the night. A relative helped. There too there was danger to life, so she crossed the Kharkai river and reached Adityapur to her brother's house.

Here too, after the death of her mother after a few days, she had to leave her brother's house. Then she started living outside the village by building a hut under a tree. By working hard for 8-10 months, she somehow managed to feed her children. Even today they get goosebumps remembering those things.