A 16-year-old from West Bengal's Murshidabad district has spent roughly five years submerging himself in local ponds day and night, driven by a relentless burning sensation on his skin that he says only water can quell. Footage of Iqbal Sheikh neck-deep in ponds began circulating widely on social media earlier this month, drawing international attention to his unusual ordeal. The teenager has described the pain as possibly the work of a supernatural entity, a belief echoed in reports citing a jinn or similar spirit from Arabic mythology.
Locals who have watched his condition deteriorate say the skin on his hands and feet has turned pale, and he has developed persistent cold and cough symptoms from constant immersion. Despite his family seeking help at multiple hospitals and from traditional healers, no definitive cause had been identified until recently. Villagers often brought food and supplies to him while he remained afloat, a testament to how completely the water had become his only relief.
The viral coverage reached one of India's wealthiest families. Anant Ambani, son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, reportedly arranged for Sheikh to be flown more than 1,300 miles to Mumbai for specialist evaluation at Sir HN Reliance Hospital. According to the Daily Mirror, the journey took place this week, and doctors there have suggested he may be suffering from erythromelalgia, a rare disorder characterized by burning pain, redness, and heat primarily in the feet, though the hands, arms, legs, ears, and face can also be affected.
The NHS notes that erythromelalgia symptoms can be constant or intermittent, often starting as itching before progressing to burning pain, warmth, swelling, and excessive sweating. The exact cause remains unclear; it can stem from another underlying condition or a faulty inherited gene. Known triggers include exercise, warm or tight clothing, heat, stress, alcohol, spicy food, and dehydration. Treatment focuses on managing symptoms and addressing any root cause.
Medical experts caution that the very thing Sheikh has relied on — prolonged soaking in cool water — likely exacerbates the condition. The Cleveland Clinic warns that cold-water immersion such as ice baths can intensify the burning pain and raise the risk of skin complications like nonhealing wounds and necrosis, which are difficult to treat. This means his self-prescribed remedy may have been worsening his prognosis all along.
Safer management strategies include medications to treat underlying conditions or relieve symptoms directly, lidocaine infusions, nutritional supplements such as magnesium and alpha-lipoic acid, nerve blocks, and topical creams. Non-pharmacological approaches recommended by the Cleveland Clinic involve elevating the affected area, resting on a cool surface like a tile floor, using a fan, or applying cool gel packs wrapped in a thin towel. With specialist care now underway, there is hope that the teenager's long ordeal may finally turn toward recovery.
