Aradhana’s Fast: Under Attack, Jain Community Asks ‘Why Only Us?’

13-year-old Aradhana Samdariya died after fasting for 68 days.

13-year-old Aradhana died two days after completing a 68-day fast. (Photo Courtesy: ANI Screengrab)

The outrage following 13-year-old Jain girl Aradhana Samdariya’s death has sparked a national debate. On one end, child rights activists deem her death as child abuse and entirely avoidable. The 20,000-odd Jains of Hyderabad, who have come out in support of the Samdariya family, argue otherwise.

Aradhana had completed a 68-day long fast or tivihar upvas. She had consumed only water between sunrise and sunset. Two days after she broke her fast with moong daal ka paani, or plain lentil soup, she felt uneasy and broke into cold sweats. Her parents rushed her to the hospital, but doctors could do nothing to help her. She was brought dead.

For Aradhana’s family and the Jain community supporting them, her death was not to be mourned, but celebrated. She had attained great heights in her tapasya. The outrage within the Jain community is over fact is that their faith is under attack.

The 'Others Can Do It, So Why Not Us' Argument

The Jain community argues that fasting is an age-old tradition among the believers of their faith. The community has submitted a thick bundle of papers to the police that lists cases of minors and adults who have fasted.

This year, roughly 26,000 Jains have fasted all over the country for three days and above, of which at least 150 are children below 15 years.

Dinesh Jain, businessman and family friend of Samdariyas to <i>Mumbai Mirror</i>

The Jain community’s counter-argument largely is that other religions are allowed to practice rituals that are considered “detrimental”.

During Muharram, children as young as five years injure themselves and police are mere spectators. What about that?

In the same line of argument, another member of the community argued that young children have injured themselves while making the janmasthami pyramid and died. Their parents, however, have not been booked.

Have you registered a case against parents who let their children die of cancers after eating <i>gutka</i>, smoking cigarettes and having wine?

Jain Acharya Vijay Ratnasundarsurisshwarji from Baroda

The community maintains that the family cannot be held culpable as the girl went on fast voluntarily.

Also Read: Jain Girl’s Death Post Fast: Parents Booked for Culpable Homicide

Women of the Jain community participate in a protest against the 2015 ban on Santhara by Rajasthan High Court, in Nagpur. (Photo: PTI)

Aradhana Wanted to Be a Monk

Her family, friends and those close to her allege that she was always inclined towards religion.

She wanted to take <i>diksha </i>when she would turn 16 and had already expressed her wish to her family. It was her grandfather Manikchand who convinced her to study further and told her that she should think about this only when she turns 20.

A community member

She had reportedly started fasting for one or two days at the age of five. At the age of eight, she fasted for eight days during paryushan. When Aradhana was 12, the family’s guru completed 34 years of diksha and she went on fast for 34 days.

Her family maintains that she knew fully well the dangers involved and wanted to fast of her own volition. For the first 41 days of her fast, she even attended school, carried her bag and was physically active.

Also Read: ‘Don’t Interfere’: Jain Gurus Warn Activists as Girl Dies Fasting

Aradhana began to fast from the age of five. Image used for representation. (Photo: iStock)

Will the Court Charge Her Parents?

Aradhana died a day after breaking her fast. Her body was cremated within hours. Six days after her death, the incident was brought to light by activist Achyuta Rao who got an anonymous phone call.

It’s hard therefore, to legally pin her death on her parents or her community in the absence of a body for post-mortem.

But if the cause of her death was found to be her 68-day long fast, will a court of law intrude into this “sacred space”?

It is a very sensitive matter. There are religious sentiments involved. In such cases, an immediate arrest is unlikely.

Inspector M Mattaiah of Market Police

Also Read: 9 Reasons Why Jain Teen Aradhana’s Death Was No “Accident”

A Medical Perspective – What Could Have Happened

While the community insists that her death had nothing to do with her fast as it had occurred after she had already broken her fast, here’s what could have happened.

Doctors say Aradhana could have developed a complete electrolyte imbalance resulting in a renal failure. While fasting, the body tries to get sugar and carbohydrates from an already depleted storage. Eventually, the liver and muscles start to break down from deprivation.

Doctors, however, also point out that just like how “all dengue patients don’t die, all those who fast don’t succumb either. It all depends on the body’s mechanism to fight.”

For now however, the investigation into the death that has sparked a national debate on religious freedom seems to have hit a wall.

Source: Mumbai Mirror