In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, a five-year-old boy who was terminally ill passed away due to superstition and the hope of a miracle. The child’s parents thought that the Ganga river would heal him from blood cancer. The boy was immersed in the icy river during the harsh northern Indian winter. According to the police, his attempts to extend his life ultimately proved fatal.

The Delhi-based family departed for Haridwar at approximately nine in the morning yesterday. The child, according to the taxi driver, was with his parents and another female relative. She has been named as the boy’s aunt in some reports. The boy appeared very sick, according to the taxi driver, and the family had informed him that Delhi’s doctors had given up on the boy’s cancer.

In a startling video, the boy’s parents can be heard reciting prayers as his aunt dunks him. When they realized the boy had been submerged for too long, some onlookers began requesting that the family leave. When they didn’t, the people gathered there dragged the boy out with force. The aunt can be seen reacting violently and even attempting to harm the people removing the boy in the video. After being taken to the hospital, the doctors pronounced the child dead.

The boy’s aunt can be seen sitting next to the body in a different video, expressing her confidence that the child will resurrect.

Swantantra Kumar, the chief of Haridwar city police, stated that the boy’s family had informed them that he was receiving cancer treatment at a prestigious hospital in Delhi. Eventually, the doctors had given up and informed them that there was no chance of saving their child. The boy’s family thought that the Ganga river could heal him. “We are receiving the hospital in Delhi’s reports. However, it seems that they brought the boy here now because they thought Ganga snan would heal him,” he remarked.

According to police, the boy’s aunt and parents have been detained and will be questioned.