India: Haunted Primary School

The Times of India reported this story back in February of this year.

In western India a Primary Government School in the village of Beejwara was temporarily closed in February. Parents had refused to send their children to school for five days--after 3 female students fainted.

These 3 students, Tunisiram, Dharmaraja and Shivraj reported they had seen a ghost. This “evil spirit” had forced these girls into a school restroom and pushed them toward the toilets. They then fainted simultaneously.

As word spread through the village panic set in. Local education department officials tried to convince the parents to send their children back to school--they stated the school was not haunted.

But the villagers felt all three girls would not have fainted at the same time without good reason.

The villagers arranged a special prayer ceremony. The following Saturday they performed prayers and sang religious songs throughout the night.

Havan

On Sunday, with priests present, special prayers, the chanting of mantras and a havan* were performed. After this the parents agreed to allow their children to return to the school the following Monday.

While these prayers were being performed on Sunday another incident occurred that convinced the villagers that it had been an evil spirit that caused the girls to faint.

A local deity “Tejaji” possessed a local man named Gopal Kumar. This deity then spoke through him.

There is a Tejaji temple located in this primary school and this deity told the villagers that for the last 2 months they had neglected it, they had stopped performing puja **-- and this is why the ghosts came to the school.

Tejaji then told them if prayers were performed regularly the ghosts would go away and not return.

* A havan is a Hindu religious ceremony that involves fire. Selfless offerings are placed in this fire.

** A puja is prayers offered to honor and worship one of more deities.