Parents claim she was a goddess

The grave of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl whose parents claimed she was a “goddess” drew large crowds on Thursday amid conflicting versions about the manner of the child’s death and the suspicion that she had been buried alive. By the time the police moved in to break up the gathering at the grave in Kumher village, some 25 km from here, hundreds of villagers were streaming to the site, setting off alarm in the district administration.

A tent had quickly come up, prayers were being said, and a television channel arrived at the spot to air the proceedings live, showing visitors offering fruits, flowers and money at the site. The police later exhumed the body and sent it for post-mortem. The initial post-mortem report indicated that the child had acute diarrhoea.

Superintendent of Police, Bharatpur, Rahul Prakash told The Hindu that investigations were continuing and an inquest would be held. The child, Khushboo, died in the early hours of Thursday. Soon, the parents spread the word that their daughter had attained “samadhi.”