After enduring 22 years of misery at the hands of her husband, Shreemattie Vivekanand will never be able to live a normal life with the physical and emotional scars that she has been left with. She is however overjoyed that her abuser is no longer a part of her life.

Shreemattie Vivekanand who was chopped by her now dead husband four weeks ago sitting on her hospital bed yesterday. The woman cannot use her hands and her head had to be shaven.

Vivekanand's husband Robert Kumar Jhagru committed suicide shortly after hacking her repeatedly with a chopper in an incident which almost rendered her an amputee.

A chopper

She is presently a patient of the Georgetown Hospital and it could be weeks before she is discharged.

Like many women in her situation, nothing much was done about the violence she suffered at the hands of her partner and it was condoned particularly by his relatives.

The police became involved in a matter late last year when he attempted to douse her with hot oil but it was his relatives who ensured that he spent only a short stint in jail.

Stabroek News visited the mother of two yesterday and she was jolly as she interacted with her relatives.

Her head was shaven exposing the countless chop scars on her skull and both hands are in casts. Because of the extent of the injuries to her hands, she can hardly move one and the other can't be moved at all. Due to this situation, Vivekanand is unable to feed, bathe or dress herself.

A smiling Vivekanand told this newspaper that she is feeling much better but at times she is in a lot of pain especially in her right hand which was badly chopped. This is the hand that she used to ward off some of the chops as her husband attacked her. It was left almost severed at the end of the attack.

She said that on Sunday the doctor removed the many stitches and the pin that was in that hand. An operation was done on that hand several days after the incident since Vivekanand was in danger of losing it. She informed this newspaper that she lost the forefinger on her left hand.

According to the injured woman it has been four weeks since she has been hospitalized and she has gotten no indication when she will be discharged.

The ordeal

On December 17 last, Vivekanand was at her Chateau Margot, East Coast Demerara home with her husband when he suddenly began chopping her with the chopper she used in her fish vending business.

After many attempts a sister managed to gain entry into the room and a rural constable who lived nearby arrested him.

Vivekanand was rushed to the hospital in a conscious state and while her husband and the rural constable was waiting for a police vehicle, the man revealed that he had ingested poison and within seconds he started bringing up a black liquid. He was rushed to the Georgetown Hospital where he later died.

Yesterday Vivekanand recounted that she arrived home before midday after selling fish and her husband who was at home went to sleep. She said he later woke up and they watched the news together. The woman said that she fell asleep and he woke her up around 9 pm and told her to go into the bedroom.

She said while she was in there he started saying a whole host of things and she told him that she wanted to sleep because she had to go and sell fish the next morning.

He continued with his behaviour and Vivekanand said that she decided to go outside and look at television until he quieted down. But before she could get off of the bed a chopper suddenly appeared in his hand and he began chopping her.

She said she fought with him and managed to grab the chopper three times but could not hold onto it.

"I start fuh scream fuh me daughta who was in de next room but she was sleeping. Me sister Rona (who lives in the front house) hear de screaming and she come over to break down de front door", she said.

Rona somehow managed to get into the home and Vivekanand said she hollered "This man killing meh. Break down de door".

She said that her sister managed to get into the bedroom but was greeted with chops and she opted to run out.

Vivekanand recalled that after this her husband chopped her three more times while her daughter who was now awake looked on.

At this point, she said she played dead and her husband stopped chopping her. He then picked up a bottle and drank a liquid which turned out to be poison.

From her hospital bed Vivekanand recalled how her husband often threatened her for no reason. She said that after he had chopped her up her husband said that he did it because she made the police lock him up last October. This is when he attempted to burn her with hot oil.

Since that incident occurred she said, he had repeatedly threatened to kill her but she didn't believe he meant it.

"I didn't expect it to end up suh, I never expected it to. He always threatening meh", she stressed, adding that he was very jealous of her.

"He chop me to kill me and me ain't do nothing wrong" she said before describing him as a lazy man who never wanted to work. Vivekanand explained to this newspaper that just over ten years ago she had to take over the fish vending business from her husband because whatever money he got from sales he would go and spend it on alcohol.

She added that this was always one of his biggest problems - drinking.

"I am relieved that he dead because he tormented me all de time. I never use to get any peace. He was a bully", she said.

She said that her only concern now is that the incident is affecting her daughter who will be sitting the CSEC exams in several months.

Asked what is bothering her most, Vivekanand replied her hands.

"I had a close call with death but it was God who save me. Look how me coulda meet meh death", she said adding that she will accept counselling if it is offered to her. (By Zoisa Fraser)
Courtesy of Stabroek News