CHENNAI: Priests refused to perform last rites for the five-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered at Aluva in Kerala.
Since the girl is the daughter of "Hindi-speaking people," some priests were reluctant to perform the last rites, reports in the regional media said. The parents of the girl are migrant workers from Bihar.
Finally, one Revanth, who doesn't have much experience performed the last rites. "Is she our daughter, so I performed the last rites," he was quoted as saying by the Malayalam media.
The last rites were performed after a public homage at her school in Thaikkattukkara. The school witnessed heart-wrenching scenes when the body arrived, reports said.
The body was buried at the public crematorium at Keezhmad near Aluva on Sunday.
The body of the five-year-old girl, who was abducted by a migrant labourer on Friday evening, was found abandoned near Aluva market, wrapped in a gunny bag on Saturday afternoon.
Asfaq Alam, an Assam native, has been arrested by the police in connection with the brutal rape and murder.
Allegedly, on Friday, Asaaaq Alam had gone to the 5-year-old's house and took her out. Alam, who had come to the locality a few days ago was a neighbour of the family. It was found that Asafaq Alam had taken the child to a shop and given her some juice after which he boarded a bus along with the child.