Hyderabad: A 13-year-old girl in Telangana died after fasting for 68 days as a part of a Jain ritual.
The eighth grade girl, identified only as Aradhana, died on October 3. However, the death came to light only four days later after the Andhra Pradesh Child Rights Association complained to the Hyderabad police seeking action against the girl’s parents for allegedly forcing her into performing penance.
Aradhana was an only child and her parents own a popular jewellery store at Pot Bazar area in Secunderabad.
She had collapsed on October 2, the last day of her 68-day fast. She was then taken to Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences in Secunderabad. She died in the early hours of October 3.
“We did not admit her and gave the family brought-dead certificate. However, doctors who examined her observed that she might have got cardiac arrest and renal failure due to imbalance of electrolytes in her body,” KIMS spokesperson Dr Alok Malik said.
According to the complaint by the child rights’ association, Aradhana’s parents forced her to undertake the ritual as advised by the family’s guru to help the family business, The Hindustan Times reported.
Secunderabad Market police station inspector M Mattaiah said the association had filed the complaint directly with the commissioner of police and it was yet to reach him. “We will decide on registering the FIR after going through the complaint,” he added.
Association president P Achyuta Rao said: “As per the ritual, she was provided only with water, that too, only till 6 pm. At the end of 68th day, a pooja was held. While performing the pooja at Secunderabad Jain Mandir, the girl fainted.”
While the girls’ parents were not available for comment, a close family acquaintance, Piyush, said there was no truth in the complaint.
“Theirs is a well-off family with no financial problems. In fact, both the parents and the girl were very religious and were planning to become monks. The girl offered to take up tapasya on her own,” he said.
He said the number 68 has significance in Jain religion and one could attain self-purity by chanting a specific mantra 68 times.
“Last year, Aradhana had observed fast for 34 days and this time, she wanted to fast for 68 days during the Chaturmas period. It was purely her personal decision, which was respected by her parents,” Piyush said.
Even if it was the girl’s decision, Rao countered, the parents should not have allowed Aradhana to fast under such stringent conditions.