Harassed by Mamata's party worker, woman tried suicide

Writers’ suicide bid: Woman was ‘harassed by in-laws’

Sumati Yengkhom TNN 11.11.11

Chanda Devi at the Medical College & Hospital

Kolkata: Sitting huddled in a hospital bed, Chanda Devi looks every bit a resigned woman. She has made many attempts to live, and one to die, and failed them all. Police at the state secretariat acted swiftly on Wednesday to prevent the 40-year-old Chanda Devi from committing suicide by consuming poison. 
    Recuperating in Medical College & Hospital Calcutta (MCHC), Chanda curses her fate. “I was better dead. Once discharged from hospital, I don’t know where to go,” she murmured, before cringing in fear at the mention of the Beliaghata address where she lived. 
    What is it that had left her terrorized? Listening to Chanda’s account, one realized it was a series of setbacks that had culminated in the suicide attempt. 
    “Didi was my last resort. I wanted to narrate my ordeal to her and hoped she would ensure justice. But when I was unable to meet her, I knew I was at the end of the road and tried to kill myself,” she said. 
    She had tried to meet the CM three months ago but failed even then. “My mother and I had gone to the state secretariat to meet Didi. Later, we went to her Kalighat home but failed to meet her,” revealed Chanda’s teenage daughter Swapna, traumatized by all that she has witnessed. According to Chanda, she was beaten up and forced to leave her 8/1 Nafar Koley Road home by her relatives and one Kali Das on Monday night. Kali, a Trinamool Congress worker, is known to flaunt his political connection in the locality. She spent the next two nights at the Sealdah Station, living on alms. Sometime during Tuesday night, she decided she would either get justice or end her life. On Wednesday, she bought poison and headed for Writers’ Buildings to meet the chief minister. 
    Chanda’s misfortune began over three years ago when her husband Durga Bhagat left for Delhi to live with his brother. Chanda was left to fend for herself and Swapna. She then started a small eatery in a neighbouring plot (12/1 Nafar Koley Road) owned by her inlaw’s family. 
    A year ago, the Bhagats forced her to shut down the eatery. She then found employment in a restaurant at an amusement park in Salt Lake. Fearing harm to her daughter, she gave up work and stayed at home. “I did not want to leave my teenage daughter alone,” said Chanda. Swapna is staying with a neighbour at present. 
    A section of locals claimed that Chanda had been driven out because she was a bad influence in the locality. “She sold liquor from the house and even indulged in flesh trade. Around 40 of us had submitted a mass petition to the Entally police station last month,” said a local. The allegations turn Swapna furious: “Where were these people who are talking about my mother’s morality when she was attacked?” 
    Chanda admits she sold liquor for six months. “I had to earn a living and being illiterate I had no alternative. But once there were objections, I stopped. Many men have tried to take advantage of my situation. Now, these very men are talking about morality,” Chanda mocked. Incidentally, 80-year-old Sudarshan and two other family members were arrested about three months ago after Chanda accused them of raping her. 
    “It is better to die than to be threatened day in and day out. At least, if the court takes over Swapna’s custody after my death, she will have a safe place to live in,” said Chanda. 
    Chanda claimed she had even approached local Trinamool Congress councilor Jiban Saha for help but the latter said he could not recall the instance. He, however, promised help. “I have heard about the suicide bid. Kali is a Trinamool Congress member but I have no knowledge of him harassing the woman. As a representative of people in this ward, I am bound to help her within my limits if she approaches me. She can also file a complaint with the police if she is being harassed,” said Saha.