Bhopal, May 3 -- A three-year-old girl died after her parents initiated her into the Jain religious practice of fasting unto death, citing her terminal brain tumour diagnosis, bringing into focus the controversial practice known as Santhara.

The incident occurred in Indore district, Madhya Pradesh, on March 21 but came to light this week when IT professionals Piyush Jain, 35, and Varsha Jain, 32, received recognition from the Golden Book of World Records, a US-based organisation, after their daughter Viyana became the youngest person to "vow the religious ritual Santhara."

Santhara, also called Sallekhana, is a practice in which a person voluntarily gives up food and water with the intention of dying. It was briefly struck down as illeg...