Terrified toddlers scream and sob as they're shaken by men in robes and tossed from a balcony 30ft above the ground.
It's not the plot of horror film - but an ages-old annual ritual carried in southern India, meant to bring participating infants good luck, health and prosperity.
Hard-to-watch footage of the ceremony, held each year in the state of Karnataka, has horrified children's rights groups, who have labeled it 'barbaric' and want it banned by the Indian government.
Video of a ceremony in 2009 shows robed priests shaking frightened babies, before dropping them to the ground below, where locals are waiting with a blanket to catch the traumatised tots.
When the children land safely, the crowd celebrates wildly, passing each infant around before returning them to their mothers.
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1 comment:
aww. kesiannye. the babies are crying. no mercy.
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