Horrific footage has surfaced of a man violently swinging a baby by its feet while crowd cheers.

An extremely disturbing video has surfaced of what appears to be a newborn baby being violently tossed in the air and swung by the ankles.

The origin of the footage is unknown, but was recently posted in a Facebook group entitled ‘Indian Atheists‘.

It has since attracted almost 30, 000 views.

The video depicts a man, referred to as ‘Godman’, in a sari swinging an infant by the legs while surrounding people cheer him on.

It has been speculated that the act is part of a “religious or superstitious ceremony“.

The grainy footage has led some to conjecture that perhaps the ‘baby’ is in fact a doll.

Shaken Baby Syndrome is observed in infants who have been violently jolted. Post continues below. 

Viewers have expressed grave concern, as such violence towards an infant could likely cause Shaken Baby Syndrome. The condition leads to severe swelling of the brain.

Such trauma is linked to brain damage, blindness, impaired cognitive and motion function, and potentially death.

We hope that the video is no more than a bizarre hoax.