Indian Father Bleeds to Death After Cutting Off His Tongue in Sacrifice to Hindu Idol

The deceased, Deepak Kol

An Indian father-of-two bled to death after cutting out his own tongue as a sacrifice to a Hindu goddess.

Deepak Kol, 28, collapsed minutes after using a knife to chop off the vital organ during the holy festival of Navratri. But instead of taking him to the hospital, Deepak’s desperate family and festival worshippers tried to ‘resurrect’ him by singing hymns and praying.

“We kept praying until 4am in the morning, hoping that Devi [Hindu goddess] would instil life in my son’s body,’ his father, a farmer, told MailOnline.

“When that did not happen, I knew that the Goddess has given Deepak a place in her lotus feet.”

Deepak, from Kharhata village, northern India, had been fasting for days before he removed his tongue in tribute to Durga, the goddess of good triumphing over evil. He fell unconscious in the village temple but other worshippers, who had fallen into a prayer-induced trance failed to notice anything was wrong for five hours.

When they realised he was unconscious, they continued to pray and chant to resurrect him. The head of the village told the authorities of his death the next morning but the family refused authorities to conduct post-mortem.

After his death, his father said: “He did not die. The deity has sought him at Her service. It is a supreme sacrifice that my son has done.