A baby boy born with eight limbs in a village in the Indian state of West Bengal seems to have attracted hundreds of believers, who think he is the reincarnation of a Hindu god. The child, who has four legs and four arms, has been dubbed God Boy because it is a common visual for Hindus to see multiple limbs on their deities. People in eastern India are now traveling across states to visit this child in Bengal, a development that has become a problem for the local police, who say they have been struggling to control the crowd.

The child’s defect, two extra legs and two extra arms, stems from the remains of an underdeveloped parasitic twin but his family is overjoyed with the abnormality, as they believe he is the son of Brahma, a Hindu god depicted with eight limbs.

“When he first came out we couldn't believe it,” said an unnamed relative of the child’s. “The nurses said he was badly deformed but I could see that this was a sign from God. In fact, this is a miracle, it’s God's baby. Indian God's have extra limbs just like this.”

Chukka Rao, 67, resident of a neighbouring village, said he was very skeptical when he heard about the child initially but eventually, he was struck with wonder when he saw God Boy with his own eyes.

However, a distraught police spokesperson said his sergeants have been having a difficult time controlling the crowds.

“This is a freak baby and it is tragic, there is nothing godly about him at all. But the crowds are going berserk and clamouring to see the child. Hundreds are crying in the streets, hundreds of others are praying and setting up a camp here. Some are even panicking and believe this is a sign of the end of the world. I have never seen anything like this in my whole career,” he said.

The child’s family, on the other hand, has been encouraging visitors and making the situation even more difficult for the police to control because they believe it is only natural that everybody wants a glimpse of their God Boy.

Photo Credits: Daily Mail