Family members of Renu Khatun, 23, whose right palm was chopped off allegedly by her husband on Sunday in a bid to prevent her from joining a nursing job at a government hospital, are determined to help her get her life back on track.

Her family members who stay in Chinispur, a remote village in East Burdwan’s Ketugram, have decided to try and give her the same ambience at their two-storey tin-roofed house where she lived before her marriage to Sariful Sheikh in 2017.

“My daughter has started to practise writing with her left hand to fulfil her dreams. Physically, she has only her left hand now, but morally, there are dozens of hands ready to join her in her battle to succeed in life,” said Renu’s mother Rahima Biwi.

“Her mental injuries are more severe than her physical pain. But I am sure our love is the best medicine to heal her wounds,” the mother added.

Renu is still admitted to the IQ City Medical College and Hospital in Durgapur.

The fourth of seven siblings, Renu continues to writhe in pain. Doctors said she would need a few more days of treatment before she was discharged.

But her determination not to cower before her circumstances was evident when from her hospital bed she asked the nurses for pen and paper to practise writing with her left hand.

“On Tuesday night she practised writing with her left hand for over an hour,” said an official in the hospital.

The young woman has finished her diploma in nursing and wants to pursue post-graduation in nursing to train future nurses. She also plans to build a career in nursing academics and research.

Ripon Sheikh, her elder brother, along with few other family members, on Tuesday met Renu at the hospital and assured her that she would get her own room at their house once discharged.

Ripon added he and Renu always had a strong bond.

“We have four rooms in our two-storey house. A room on the first floor was Renu’s before her marriage. My sister and I used to study together there. We always used to have long adda sessions over studies and watched several films together. She will get back her old room with the same arrangement and furniture that she had before she got married,” said Ripon, who is a diploma engineer.

“There are many people in the world who survive without any hand. My sister still has one left hand but what she possesses is an indomitable spirit,” Ripon said even as his eyes welled up.

A family member said that Renu was unhappy with Sariful and used to confide that to her parents.

Her family members said that if Renu ever planned to remarry, they would first ask the prospective groom and his family if they believed in women’s empowerment.“It is completely up to my daughter whether she will marry again. But we will want to ensure that the man and his family believe in women’s empowerment,” said Rahima.

Husband remanded

Police on Tuesday night arrested Sariful from Ketugram.

A Katwa court on Wednesday remanded him in seven days of police custody. “We are still looking for two aides to Sariful who were present when the crime was committed,” said Dhruba Das, the additional SP in Katwa.

Police sources said they would ask Sariful about the weapon used to cut off his wife’s hand.