5 y/o Delhi boy dies as family dips him in Ganga to ‘cure’ cancer
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Dehradun: A five-year-old terminally ill boy in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, lost his life due to superstition and a misguided belief in miracles. The boy was suffering from blood cancer, and his parents believed that immersing him in the Ganga River would cure him.
Despite the harsh winter conditions in northern India, the boy was submerged in the freezing river in an attempt to extend his life, tragically resulting in his demise, the police said.
The family, residing in Delhi, left for Haridwar around 9 am yesterday. According to the cab driver, the child was accompanied by his parents and another woman relative, who reportedly identified as his aunt.
The cab driver said the boy looked severely unwell with the family informing him that the child had cancer and that doctors in Delhi had given up on any hope of recovery.
A disturbing video shows the parents of the boy chanting prayers while his aunt submerged him in the water. Concerned onlookers intervened when they observed the child underwater for an extended period, urging the family to stop.
The family didn’t pay heed to them despite these pleas. The onlookers then forcefully brought the boy to the surface. The video revealed the aunt responding aggressively, attempting to thwart those rescuing the child.
The child was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead by the doctors.
Another video shows the boy's aunt sitting beside his body and saying that she was sure that the child would come back to life.
Haridwar city police chief Swantantra Kumar said the family had told them that the boy was undergoing cancer treatment in a top Delhi hospital.
The doctors had eventually given up and told them that their child could not be saved. The family believed that the river Ganga could heal the boy.
"We are getting the reports from the Delhi hospital. But at this point, it appears that they brought the boy here because they believed that Ganga snan would cure him," he said.
The boy's parents and his aunt have been taken into custody for questioning, police said.
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