All Indian Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam worker Vani of Salem on Sunday chopped off her right thumb to fulfil a vow.
She had prayed to a deity that she would do so if the party returned to power and Jayalalithaa became the Chief Minister.
The 45-year-old woman fulfilled her vow on the temple premises. She was sent home by the shocked temple priest.
Her husband Palanisamy, a weaver, rushed her to a nearby hospital and then to Ganga Hospital in Coimbatore, where doctors led by S. Raja Sabapathy and Hari Venkataramani operated upon her to rejoin the severed thumb.
Mr. Palanisamy told journalists that soon after the party emerged victorious on May 13, Vani had been telling him and his relatives that she wanted to fulfil the vow at the earliest. But the family members have been dissuading her saying that they would instead take her to meet the Chief Minister.
The hospital sources said that the operation was successful and that the thumb had been attached.
Minister visits hospital
Minister for Special Programmes Implementation S.P. Velumani called on the woman at the hospital. A similar incident happened a few days ago in Ramanathapuram district, where K. Saritha severed her tongue to fulfil her vow.
