

Could the incident have been a case of mass hysteria ? Image Credit: sxc.hu

A government high school in India was recently at the center of an alleged possession involving 14 pupils.

The bizarre incident, which occurred in Bhimtal town of Nainital district, began when a young girl reportedly became 'possessed' and started to behave in an irrational manner."A class 7 student was possessed last Thursday and started doing bizarre activities like breaking chairs and shouting loudly," said principal-in-charge Chhatrapal Singh."When other girls tried to calm her down and offered water, the influence spread to them as well. They started shouting loudly, dancing, jumping here and there.""They were crying loudly as they were scared looking at the other girls."In an effort to address the problem, the village administration and school management opted to call in specialist priests to conduct 'Jagar' - a form of ancestor spirit worship."The girls calmed down after Jagar was conducted," said village head Madan Singh Nauliya."When we asked the Jagariya as to why this incident took place now and nothing of this sort happened before, he told us that often spirits remain dormant for up to 20 years.""He said even on the buildings constructed above a graveyard, the spirits may not cause any trouble for up to 14 to 20 years and reveal themselves only later."