JHARSUGUDA: A 33-year-old woman of Chhattisgarh - her legs chained and swept away in the swelling Mahanadi river - stayed afloat for an astounding 17 km before being saved by fisherfolks in bordering area of Odisha’s Jharsuguda district on Thursday morning, in what turned out to be a miraculous story of survival.
Sarojini Chouhan, a native of Purat village under Sariya police station in Chhattisgarh’s Sarangarh-Bilaigarh district, was rescued during early hours of the day when one Ramesh Seth and his son Dani from Palsada village went out to the river for fishing.
As they navigated the frothing Mahanadi, they heard cries of “bachao, bachao” (help, help) from the water. The father-son duo turned boat around and spotted Sarojini floating. They managed to pull her to safety with the help of fellow fishermen. By that time, she had managed to float for about 17 km. How she survived, with her legs in chains, remains unknown.
Getting her on their boat, the fishermen promptly informed the Rengali police who arrived and rushed Sarojini to Lakhanpur community health centre for medical check-up.
After ensuring her condition was stable, the police notified her family and Sariya police, Jharsuguda SP Smit Parmar Parsottamdas said.
Sarojini’s brother, Jagdish Chouhan, and his wife reached the hospital and later took her home.
According to Jagdish, Sarojini has been struggling with mental illness after her marriage five years ago. As her condition worsened, she returned to her family’s home in Purat. Police suspect she was chained because of her mental health condition.
Last night, after the family had finished dinner and gone to bed, the 32-year-old wandered out of the house, somehow made her way to the river, and ended up in Odisha.
Locals were astonished, calling Sarojini’s survival a miracle. “It is truly God’s work that she survived such a long distance in Mahanadi which is carrying flood water following incessant rains in the reason,” a villager remarked. The incident drew significant attention, highlighting the bravery of the local fishermen.