Joymoti

In the late 17th century, Assam's Ahom dynasty was ruled by a boy king, but real executive power rested in the hands of the Prime Minister. With a large cadre of princes poised as potential claimants, no monarch could sit on the throne with security. The Prime Minister ordered a hunt for suitors—to capture and kill them, or to maim them so they could not succeed. The principal target of the purge was Godapani, a man of notable vigor and energy. When Godapani learned of the plan, he fled to the Naga hills. Unable to trace him, the army led by Gathi Hazarika came upon his wife Joymoti. Gathi Hazarika tortured her to extract the sought-after information. She clung to ignorance, replying with silence and patience as the tortures intensified, and she breathed her last amid the torment.