Superstition led to the killing of a terminally-ill seven-year-old child in the holy city of Haridwar. The boy was suffering from blood cancer and was repeatedly dipped in the Ganga at Har-ki-Pauri allegedly by his parents and aunt, who were hoping that "a miracle would cure him of the disease".
A video shows the parents of the boy chanting prayers while his aunt dipped him under the water. Some passerby noticed that the boy was underwater for too long and asked the family to stop. When they didn’t, some of the onlookers came to them and forcefully brought the boy out.
Another video shows the boy's aunt sitting next to the body and can be heard saying, "This child will stand up. That is my promise."
अंधविश्वास और अंधभक्ति के कारण मां ने अपने बच्चे को हरिद्वार गंगा जी में डुबोकर रखा!
फ़िर उसके पश्चात् उसमें 'प्राण प्रतिष्ठा' करके प्राण डालने की कोशिश की गई.
— Praveen Panghal/प्रवीन पंघाल/ਪ੍ਰਵੀਣ ਪੰਘਲ (@ppanghalch) January 25, 2024
Upon receiving the information, the police rushed to the scene and took the child to the district hospital, where the doctors declared the child dead. The child's body has been sent for post-mortem.
According to Superintendent of Police (City) Swatantra Kumar Singh, the couple, from Delhi, had brought their son, who was suffering from blood cancer, for a dip in the Ganges River in Haridwar. The child's parents revealed that they had consulted doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, but the doctors had given up on the child.
