‘Ghosts’, anklet sounds, an ancient tree: What really happened at this Maharashtra hostel that drove out 600+ students
Some students and locals believed spirits lived in a tree that was cut down by the school management.
In Maharashtra’s Amravati district, a government tribal hostel experienced a mysterious outbreak that caused the departure of over 600 students. Initially, a group of girls began exhibiting odd behavior, including crying, laughing, and fainting. Rumors of ghosts, possessions, and a spiritual entity called “chakwa” quickly spread among the villagers.
The hostel, part of the Shaskiya Madhyamik Va Uchha Madhyamik Ashram Shala Doma, is a government-run residential school established in 1979 and run by the Tribal Development Department.
Upon investigation, a state health team found no evidence of supernatural occurrences. Instead, they identified symptoms as dissociative or conversion symptoms, attributing them to "selective hysteria" resulting from mental stress. A senior official from the Tribal Development Department explained that once hysterical symptoms appeared, others might mirror them through observation.
Dr. Swati Sonone, a psychiatrist, emphasized the importance of counseling parents, as patients could consciously or unconsciously reproduce such symptoms.
Local reports suggested that some girls claimed to hear anklet sounds, while another woman in a nearby village claimed to have seen a supernatural shadow. One student who spotted the shadow also began acting strangely, prompting other students to mimic similar reactions. Rumors circulated that the spirits of a recently cut mahua tree or a nearby temple's deity angered by drainage issues were causing the unrest. Additionally, a theory linked the incidents to the death of an Adivasi youth in the nearby fields.
Anti-superstition activists found that some families had taken the affected girls to traditional tribal healers, known as bhumkas, for rituals aimed at warding off supernatural forces. However, these bhumkas reported that the girls were fine and continued their daily activities. Among the affected was Class XII student Shivani Kalsekar, who complained of dizziness and has not returned to the hostel.
Class XI student Janhavi Maraskolhe, who witnessed the events, also returned to the hostel where around 50 girls are currently staying. The school, which has around 852 students, saw nearly 610 students leave after parents took their children home. Teachers, health officials, and anti-superstition activists began visiting villages to address the situation and counsel families.
The hostel's poor ventilation and overcrowding were also identified as potential factors contributing to psychological issues.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
