Indian boy hailed as 'monkey god' has his tail removed, loses status

London: An Indian boy, who was born with a tail, has lost his "monkey god" status after he had his extra part removed so he could walk properly.

The 14-year-old Arshid Ali Khan, aka Balaji, who has spent his short life being prayed to in his own temple with visitors giving him cash and gifts, was believed to the reincarnation of Hindu monkey god Hanuman, the Mirror reported.

Doctors at Fortis Hospital Mohali in Punjab have removed the seven-inch fleshy "tail" growing from Khan's back, free of charge in a seven-hour operation to help him walk better in the future.

Balaji's grandfather, Iqbal Qureshi, said that they're extremely happy and thankful to the doctors for operating on Balaji and help him get rid of the tail.

He added that it was really unfortunate that he was born unusual but now he can go on and lead a normal life.

Balaji, who wants to be a music teacher when he grows up, said that he is very happy and delighted with his successful surgery, adding that now people will stop calling him god.

Khan, who never liked being called God because he always believed he was a normal kid, added that his friends were very excited for him as he can now be one of them.