From correspondents in Chhattisgarh, India, 08:30 PM IST

A three-day 'miracle' drama in Chhattisgarh's industrial town of Raigarh ended Monday afternoon after a Hindu priest, who had committed suicide promising to return to life within 72 hours of his death, was cremated.

Hundreds of people had laid siege around the body of 25-year-old Manoj Baghel, who ended his life Saturday by consuming poison at a temple in Raigarh, about 200 km northeast of state capital Raipur. Baghel had claimed that he would come back to life.

'The miracle drama is now over as the people, who had surrounded the body of the dead priest to witness the rebirth, handed over the corpse to the police for post-mortem Monday afternoon,' J.K. Thorate, superintendent of police in Raigarh, told IANS.

The people had surrounded the temple where the body was kept in a locked room and were refusing to hand it over to the police, expecting the priest to come back to life by late Monday.

'They lost all hope of rebirth of the priest,' the police officer said. The police have registered a case of suicide.

Thorate said after post-mortem, the body was handed over to the priest's father, Ram Prasad Baghel, a farmer, who cremated his only son.

The young priest was rushed to a district hospital after he consumed poison. He was then referred to a private hospital where he died. Baghel's relatives later brought his body back to the temple, where a huge crowd had gathered to witness the 'rebirth miracle'.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)