Hyderabad: A seven-year-old boy battling blood cancer lost his life after his parents allegedly immersed him in the Ganga river in a misguided attempt to cure his illness. The distressing incident unfolded on Wednesday afternoon at Har ki Pauri in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district.
According to the authorities, the child's parents, accompanied by other family members, brought him to the Ganga River banks following medical advice that suggested the child's slim chances of overcoming cancer. A disturbing video circulating on social media captured the event, showing a woman, believed to be the boy's aunt, clad in a red saree repeatedly immersing the child in the river for approximately five minutes. Initially, the child screamed, but the cries ceased shortly thereafter.
Haridwar Superintendent of Police Swatantra Kumar revealed, "The superstitious parents thought that if their son, ailing from blood cancer, would take a Gangasnan (dip in the holy Ganga), he would be cured of the disease." After the ordeal, onlookers swiftly transported the child to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Law enforcement has detained the boy's parents and aunt, and pending the release of the postmortem report, further legal action against the family is anticipated. An ongoing investigation is underway.
