Once labelled as 'witch', Bengal woman turns good Samaritan for Covid-19 patients

Seventeen years ago, her life took a turn for the worse when she and her family members were driven out of their village by locals, alleging that they were witches. The incident not only put their lives in danger but also nearly put an end to her studies.

But the bitter experience failed to make Churki Hasda turn her back on humanity. Now clad in a PPE kit, she braves the Covid-19 virus while supplying patients with oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators.

“I have suffered a lot in my life. So I know how people suffering from Covid-19 feel like. This is the least I can do for them,” Hasda told DH.

It was in 2004 when Hasda and her family members, residents of the Gopalnagar village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, were allegedly assaulted and driven out by villagers who suspected them to be witches.

Hasda, along with her parents, two brothers and a sister led an uncertain life moving from the homes of one relative to another for a year. Finally, they were able to settle down in Badh Nabagram, a village about eight km from Gopalnagar in the same district.

Determined not to be cowed down by the situation, she resumed her studies. After completing her graduation she took up a job at a local NGO which provided education to impoverished children. While working there she also learned how to drive. She used to take her colleagues to remote villages for teaching children.

Now with the help of a voluntary organization, Bangla Sanskriti Mancha, she has become a trusted friend of those suffering from Covid-19 providing them with oxygen so they can fight their battle with the virus.

“Even if I have to help the residents of Gopalnagar village, I will gladly do it. I don’t hold any grudges. It is my duty as a human being.” said Hasda.

Speaking to DH, a senior official of the Bangla Sanskriti Mancha, Manisha Bandyopadhyay, said, “The way Churki is helping those who are battling the virus, will inspire others to follow her path.”