Jharkhand’s Chhutni Mahto to be decorated with Padma Shri at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Nov 9

Mail News Service

Saraikela, Oct 21: Birbans resident and the source of strength to hundreds of women who have been castrated as witches by communities either due to blind faith on witch doctors or people with ulterior motives, 63-year-old Birbans resident Chhutni Mahto will be decorated with the prestigious Padma Shri Award to be conferred on her by the President of India at a glittering function to be held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on November 9. Chhutni Mahto is all humility but the inner courage, doughtiness and determination born out of the fire to fight against the accusation of hers being a witch and sorceress cast on her by her own family and thrown out of the house with four small children to survive, initially under a tree on the outskirts of her village has seen to the restoration of dignity and dignified living of many women who had met similar fates at the hands of family members, relatives and on many occasions by their entire village community. And her fight against misconceptions continues.

While expressing her gratitude for the recognition in the form of the fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, Chhutni Mahto’s inner fire shone in her eyes as she said, “My fight against witch hunting will continue till my last breath. Strict laws should be enacted to eradicate this humiliation meted out to innocent and helpless women who are dubbed as witches. Everyone has a right to lead life with dignity and women are not outsiders to this right.

Chhutni Devi was married to late Dhananjay Mahato, resident of Mahataindih village in Gamharia block. Three sons and a daughter were born to the couple. Everything went well till 12w years of marriage. The period of struggle started for Chhutni from 1991 when her own relatives accused her of being a witch. She was meted out physical and mental torture. The attitude of the people towards her took a somersault. The entire village turned a cauldron of suspicion and hatred. Talking about the pain she experienced at that juncture of her life, Chhutni Mahto narrated, “I was defeated by my very own people. I started my journey of struggle against social castigation from that point of time. After spending some nights under a tree, I shifted to a small hut in Birbans with my small children. A new life commenced for us from that time — a life of determined struggle. I was illiterate but I was bent on getting my children educated. As for me, as I said, I resolved to remove the stigma of witch from the lives of women were victimized by a blind community. My campaign to end the evil practice started in 1992 and with time, it has grown into a big movement with the support of women whose dignity was restored and by a society that has realized the misnomer of dubbing women as witches and heretics.”

Chhutni joined the Free Legal Aid Committee (FLAC) an organization working to root out the evil of harassing women by dubbing them witches. This added a pep to her determination and today, although the struggle continues, 127 ill-fated women who suffered the ’witch ignominy’ are leading lives of dignity and fortitude and helping Chhutni Mahato and FLAC in their mission.

Chhutni Devi has won respect and continues to win accolades and honours from various quarters. She was plced sixth in the list of women fighting for rights in a souvenir brought out on the occasion of International Women’s Day.