How Krishnaveni has defined an era of women panchayat presidents

The trauma of the tragedy lives with Krishnaveni, but it made her more determined than ever

P Krishnaveni remembers the night of 13 June, 2011, clear as day. Barely 200 m from her home of 15 years, in front of a local temple, she lay in a pool of her blood.

It was 10 pm, when her husband and two teenage daughters found her and screamed for help. No one came. When they finally lifted her into an auto-rickshaw, two fingers–one each hacked from her left and right hands–dropped to the floor. Her right ear was also severed.

The trauma of that day lives with Krishnaveni, but it made her more