An Indonesian boy’s rite of passage to manhood may be compromised after a section of his manhood was reportedly snipped off.
According to the police, a private clinic in Cerenti District, Riau Province held a free mass circumcision event to celebrate the birthday of the clinic owner’s son on Dec. 18. Ninety-three boys had signed up for their free snips.
Among them was a 10-year-old boy, who could not have foreseen that he would lose more than his foreskin.
“[The circumcision practitioner cut] the tip. We’re still looking into it because the boy was taken to a hospital in Pekanbaru,” Cerenti Police Chief Irwan Fikri said yesterday, referring to the provincial capital.
The chief did not say how much of the tip was severed.
Irwan added that the boy was 85th in line for a circumcision. The event was called off right after the incident, meaning eight boys were spared what would have been a terrifying encounter with the shears.
The boy’s current condition, and whether or not his tip could be reattached, has not been disclosed.
Most Indonesian boys, especially Muslims, get circumcised around the age of five or before the onset of puberty. Many remember the procedure with a certain fondness since circumcisions are traditionally treated as a rite of passage into manhood that is rewarded with parties and presents.
Though circumcisions are generally safe, there have been the rare occasion that the procedure gets botched in Indonesia.
