A 7-year-old boy sustained injuries after he falling on burning coals while doing the fire-walking ritual as part of a temple's festival near Arambakkam in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvallur district on Sunday.
The ritual was organised at a Mariamman temple in Kattukollaimedu village as part of the annual Aadi festival, India Today reported.
Over 100 devotees marked the festival by walking on the burning charcoal pit at the temple. Videos of the incident went viral social media, showing the young boy slipping and falling on the pit.
VIDEO:
Everyone had crossed the pit one after the another, but the 7-year-old Monish hesitated to walk forward as his turn came. People in the surrounding were seen persuading the boy to resume the fire-walk.
A police officer was seen convincing him to cross the pit in the video of the incident. As the boy remained hesitant, a man from behind held his hand and walked into the pit with him.
As they quickly walked on the pit, the boy slipped and fell on the embers. Though the man and the people around swiftly lifted the boy and took him out, he ended up sustaining burn injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
According to The Hindu, the boy is admitted to the intensive care unit with 50 per cent burns. Meanwhile, the Arambakkam police has also registered a case in this regard.
Last year as well, a 14-month-old child had suffered severe burn injuries after her grandfather, who was carrying her while walking across the pit of burning charcoal, slipped and fell down on the embers at the Draupathu Amman temple in Uthukottai.
