Daijiworld Media Network - Amravati

Amravati, Aug 17: Nearly 600 tribal students have left a government-run residential school hostel in Maharashtra's Amravati district following rumours that some girls were "possessed" by spirits, prompting authorities to step in and counsel the students.

The unusual episode began on July 22 when four girls at the tribal residential school in Doma village of Chikhaldara taluka in the tribal-dominated Melghat region reportedly began behaving strangely, including crying and laughing uncontrollably.

Officials suspect the behaviour could be linked to mental stress rather than anything supernatural.

The residential school, run by the Tribal Development Department, houses around 810 boys and girls. Following rumours that the hostel was haunted, nearly 600 students left the premises over a period of several days, officials said.

According to a hostel source, some girls claimed to have heard the sound of anklets clanking, further fuelling fears among students.

A senior Tribal Development Department official said a team of health experts visited the Doma residential school and examined the situation.

"The symptoms have nothing to do with anything supernatural. It could be a selective hysteria-like condition related to mental stress," the official said.

A psychological report prepared by the authorities said several theories began circulating among students and locals following the unusual behaviour of the girls. Some women from the village also reportedly developed similar mental symptoms later.

One belief was linked to a 'mahua' tree that allegedly stood at the site of the ashram school. According to the report, students and locals believed spirits resided on the tree. After the school management cut it down, they believed the spirits became angry and began troubling the students.

Another theory was that a temple dedicated to the local deity behind the school had been affected or encroached upon by the school's drainage channel, which locals believed had upset the deity.

A third belief was that an Adivasi youth had died in a field near the school and that his spirit had subsequently become a ghost.

The psychological report attributed the unusual situation to a combination of superstition, fear, stress and local beliefs about spirits.

Senior office-bearers of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti, an organisation working to eradicate blind faith, also visited the school and counselled the students.

They appealed to the students and local residents to view the incident from a scientific perspective and not fall prey to superstitious beliefs, the official said.

Amravati MP Balwant Wankhade also urged the students not to be afraid and appealed to them to return to school and resume their classes.

Headmaster Sanjay Chaudhary said efforts were underway to counsel the affected girls and bring the students back to the residential school.

"A few have returned," he said.

Authorities are continuing efforts to restore confidence among the students and ensure that classes resume normally at the residential school.