The Hyderabad Police on Sunday closed the case against the parents of Aradhana Samdariya, the 13-year-old girl who had died last October after fasting for 68 days as part of Jain rituals. Hyderabad North Zone Deputy Police Commissioner B Sumathi told Hindustan Times that they could not “find any evidence to prove that her parents had forced her to do tapasya [fast]”.
Aradhana Samdariya’s parents Laxmi Chand and Manshi Samdariya had been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder after her death. The FIR had been lodged by child rights NGO Balala Hakkula Sangham, which had alleged that her parents had forced her to fast to bring luck to their struggling family business.
The police have informed the child rights group that they should approach the court within a week if they were against the case being closed. Balala Hakkula Sangham President P Achyuta Rao has claimed that the investigators had “conspired with the Jain community and closed the case without proper investigation”.
Aradhana Samdariya had been fasting during the holy period of “chaumasa” and was admitted to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest. Santhara, or the Jain ritual of fasting unto death, is usually observed by elderly people or those suffering from serious illnesses. Around 600 people had attended her funeral, which was celebrated as a “shobha yatra”, and she was hailed a “bal tapasvi”.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!