3-year-old terminally ill girl dies after fasting ritual in Indore, police ‘looking into the matter'
A three-year-old terminally ill girl in Indore died while undergoing a Jain ritual of voluntary fast unto death, called Santhara.
The child died on March 21, around 40 minutes after the ritual was completed, but the incident has only recently become widely known.
Indore police said they had not been aware of the matter. 'We have no record of this. No one informed the local police station or administration. We are looking into the matter, ' said a senior police officer.
Santhara, also known as Sallekhana, is traditionally undertaken by devout Jains at the end of their life as an act of spiritual purification. In 2015, the Rajasthan High Court had declared Santhara illegal, calling it a form of suicide. However, the ruling triggered widespread protests by Jain groups, and a month later, the Supreme Court put a stay on the decision.
The child's parents, Varsha and Piyush Jain, both IT professionals, took the decision for their daughter to undertake the ritual following advice from a Jain monk.
The couple said they consulted only close family members before taking the decision. 'She was our only child,' Piyush said. 'She came into this world for only three years, four months, and one day. When her brain tumour relapsed after surgery, and her health deteriorated rapidly, we decided to turn to our faith.'
The family said they brought Viyana to their spiritual guide on March 21. According to them, the monk assessed her condition and predicted she wouldn't survive the night. After consulting relatives and obtaining their approval, the parents said they proceeded with the ritual, which was carried out with full religious rites and lasted about 30 minutes. Ten minutes later, Viyana died, they said.
'She was a happy, energetic child,' said her father. 'We raised her with Jain values from the start — visiting the cow shelter, feeding birds, praying, and observing religious rituals.'
Following the ceremony, the parents also claimed that it was recognised by the Golden Book of World Records as the youngest recorded case of Santhara globally.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
Handcuffed, pinned to floor: The row over Indian student's ordeal at US airport
A video that has gone viral shows an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned down by officials at Newark Airport in New Jersey, US. The incident came to light after Indian-American entrepreneur Kunal Jain shared the video online. As a witness to the incident, he described the treatment of the man as 'deeply inhumane' and called it a 'human tragedy'. The Indian Embassy in New York has now responded, saying it has reached out to local authorities read more The viral video shows an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned down by officials at a US airport. Image: X A shocking video of an Indian man being handcuffed and held down by officials at Newark Airport in New Jersey has gone viral on social media. The incident came to light after Kunal Jain, an Indian-American entrepreneur, posted the video on social media . He called the way the Indian 'student' was treated 'deeply inhumane' and described it as a 'human tragedy'. Now, the Indian Embassy in New York has responded, saying that they had seen social media posts about an Indian national facing trouble at Newark Liberty International Airport. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What happened during the incident? Do we know why he was being treated the way the video shows? What did the witness, Kunal, say about it? And how did the Indian consulate in New York respond? Let's get you the answers to these questions and more. What happened? The viral video shows an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned down by officials at a US airport. Kunal Jain posted a photo of the student on X, saying he was being deported from Newark Airport last night. According to him, the student was in tears and was treated like a criminal by the authorities. I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night— handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy. @IndianEmbassyUS #immigrationraids — Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025 'As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy,' Jain wrote on X. Jain, who is the President of HealthBots AI, said the student spoke in Haryanvi. 'I could recognise his accent where he was saying 'I'm not insane, these people are trying to make me look insane',' he added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jain expressed concern over the situation, saying the student was 'crying, treated like a criminal' and had come to the US 'chasing dreams, not causing harm'. Here more videos and @IndianEmbassyUS need to help here. This poor guy was speaking in Haryanvi language. I could recognise his accent where he was saying 'में पागल नहीं हूँ , ये लोग मुझे पागल साबित करने में लगे हुए हे' — Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025 He also said that similar cases have been happening recently. 'These children get their visas and get on a flight in the morning. For some reason, they are unable to explain the reason for their visit to the immigration authorities and are sent back on the evening flight tied up like criminals. Every day 3-4 such cases are happening. There have been more such cases in the last few days,' he wrote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He urged the Indian Embassy in the US to look into the incident and help the student. He also tagged the Indian Embassy and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his post. In an article for The New Indian Express, Jain recalled that the man, who appeared to be a student, said in Hindi, 'Main pagal nahi hoon… yeh log mujhe pagal sabit karna chahte hain' ('I'm not mad… they're trying to prove I'm mentally unstable'). This poor kids parent won't know what's happening to him. @IndianEmbassyUS @DrSJaishankar he was to be boarded last night in the same flight with me but he never got boarded. Someone needs to find out what's going on with him at New Jersey authorities. I found him disoriented. — Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025 He added that the man looked frightened and confused, and his desperate plea to be understood was deeply disturbing. What was the reason? Here's what the witness said In a conversation with CNN-News18, Jain said that even terrorists are not treated publicly like that in the United States. He said, 'I remember exactly, a pilot came out and said he couldn't take the risk of bringing this boy onto the plane because he might be a threat to other passengers. Now think about it, all of this was happening in his head… I mean, I felt so bad.' Regarding a possible reason why the security forces acted the way they did, Kunal said they believed the student was agitated. 'So they felt that in order to control him, they had to force him down, pin him to the ground. My only point is that there were enough Indians there. They could have called the Indian embassy, they could have provided legal help, they could have brought in a counsellor, or even a linguistic counsellor who could speak his language.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He further said, 'Nowadays, if you don't have a visa, they don't allow you in. So he was allowed at the entry, but probably interviewed there.' After the entire incident, he said, 'I boarded the plane and asked one of the hostesses. She told me, 'We see three to four such cases every day.'' 'If people do not retaliate or become violent, then they are sent back to India. But if, for any reason, they become aggressive, this is what happens,' he said. ALSO READ | Why Trump is offering $1,000 to migrants to 'self-deport' from US How Indian Embassy reacted to the incident The Indian Consulate in New York responded to the incident after the video and posts gained attention online. The consulate confirmed that they had reached out to local authorities. 'We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard,' the Consulate General of India in New York posted on X. We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard. The Consulate remains ever committed for the welfare of Indian Nationals.@MEAIndia… — India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) June 9, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The Consulate remains ever committed for the welfare of Indian Nationals.' Trump administration's crackdown on international students This incident comes at a time when the US government has stepped up its action against international students , with many visas being cancelled without warning. The reasons behind the deportations have differed, from joining pro-Palestine protests to minor traffic offences, leaving many students caught in legal trouble and uncertainty. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the US has deported around 1,080 Indian nationals. The latest case has also reminded many of earlier deportations that caused public outrage. In February, a video released by the US Border Patrol showed over 100 Indians being sent back, with their hands cuffed and legs chained.
Scroll.in
2 hours ago
- Scroll.in
Forced narco-analysis tests on accused violate constitutional rights: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that conducting narco-analysis tests on persons accused in a case without their consent is not permissible and amounts to a violation of fundamental rights. The court set aside a Patna High Court order that had permitted the test to be carried out on persons accused in a dowry death case. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Prasanna B Varale held that the High Court had erred in accepting the investigating officer's request to conduct narco-analysis tests on the accused while hearing a bail plea. In a narco-analysis test, the accused is injected with sodium pentothal, a drug that puts them in a sedated state. In this condition, they are believed to be unable to lie and may reveal truthful information. Calling it an 'impermissible investigative shortcut in a bail proceeding', the Supreme Court said that such an approach violates Article 20(3) and Article 21 of the Constitution. It added that a bail court cannot act as a 'mini trial court' by allowing invasive procedures such as narco-analysis tests. Article 20(3) of the Constitution protects individuals from being compelled to be a witness against themselves or give self-incriminating testimony. Article 21 pertains to protection of life and personal liberty. The Supreme Court said that an accused has a right to voluntarily undergo a narco-analysis test at an 'appropriate stage' of the investigation. It added that even if the accused voluntarily agrees to a narco-analysis test, the results alone cannot be used to convict them.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
"Nobody Dared To...": Witness On Indian Man Being Pinned Down At US Airport
New Delhi: Kunal Jain, an Indian-American entrepreneur who witnessed an Indian man being handcuffed and pinned to the ground at the Newark Airport in the US, said that the incident was "deeply unsettling". Mr Jain had posted a video of the man being "treated like a criminal" on X, which went viral and triggered outrage on social media. According to Mr Jain, there were around 50 people waiting for the flight, but no one dared to say anything to the immigration officials. He said that the young man was visibly disoriented and violent. "The reason I think he was pinned down is that he was a little violent, and he was feeling disoriented. I don't know why he was disoriented. What happens when there is a violent person, they are not allowed on the plane. So, the officials called the pilot, he said we can't take him on the plane because he's a threat to other passengers. When that happened, they pinned him down," he told NDTV. "The worst part was when the other police officials came, at least seven to eight, they emptied the whole queue, and they tied his legs and hands and held him. At that moment, I literally started crying. Why did they do that, and so publicly," Mr Jain said, calling the moment a "human tragedy". I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night— handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy. @IndianEmbassyUS #immigrationraids — Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025 There were communication issues between the Indian man and the officials as the former was speaking in Hindi and Haryanvi, Mr Jain said. "The authorities were saying that they did not understand Hindi, and he was speaking in a Haryanvi language too. I thought I could probably help out. I went there, asked a police officer if I could help them understand what he was saying. But he didn't allow me to do so. What the official did instead was call more police," he said. According to the witness, the officers were telling the student to "shut down", while the Indian man was yelling, "Mai pagal nahi hu, yeh mujhe pagal bana rahe hai. Mai pagal nahi hu, yeh mujhe pagal sabit kar rahe hai (I'm not mad, they are trying to make me mad, prove that I'm mentally unstable). "The problem was communication. It's very hard to believe that this guy could not understand English, of course, he could. It's that he was stressed and disoriented, and that's why he was speaking in Hindi. Something might have occurred at the port of entry. The immigration officers may have found that he is disoriented, and that's why they denied his visa. But in most cases, what they do is they keep the person's dignity intact," Mr Jain said. Calling it a collective failure, Mr Jain said, "It made me think of all the young Indian students who come to America with big dreams, often paying three times the tuition domestic students pay. They arrive with hope, ambition, and their families' trust - and yet, if they can't secure a job after graduation, their visa expires. Many of them become undocumented, lost in a legal limbo where they are no longer welcome, yet have nowhere else to go. Is this what they deserve?" The disturbing viral footage shows the student pinned to the ground as at least four officials held him down, with two of them keeping their knees on his back. They had tied the student's legs and hands. Indian Embassy's response As the video went viral on social media, the Indian Embassy in New York addressed the incident, saying they have across social media posts claiming that an Indian national faced difficulties at the Newark Liberty International Airport. "We are in touch with local authorities in this regard. The Consulate remains ever committed for the welfare of Indian Nationals," it said.
