BHOPAL: A government school in the tribal dominated Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh is witnessing bizarre developments.
Some girl students at the Government Integrated Secondary School in Chotki Tola under Burhar development block have been falling unconscious, experiencing dizziness and also fits like problems after the morning prayers.
Surprisingly, instead of taking services of doctors, the school has been allowing the parents of these girl students to bring faith healers and perform strange rituals with their daughters inside the school premises, including the classrooms.
Visuals of Ojhas (faith-healers) treating the concerned girl students through Jhaad-Phoonk (superstitious practices) for “driving away evil spirits” have been circulating on social media for the past few days.
According to the school’s officiating Head Master Prem Lal Singh, around 14 students have either fallen unconscious, complained of dizziness or experienced fits like developments during or after the morning prayers in the last few days.
“On February 23, not one but four students experienced such health problems. Owing to such health problems happening with many students, a lot of parents have stopped sending their kids to school. As many as 157 students are enrolled at the school, but owing to these recent developments, not more than 80 are presently coming compared to 120-plus attending earlier.”
Singh also admitted that after being informed about their wards' health conditions, many parents are rushing to the school with faith-healers and getting those students treated.
One of the school teachers Veer Singh Pal, while confirming the strange developments about 12-14 girls suddenly falling ill in the school after morning prayers, added that due to non-availability of proper doctors nearby, parents are bringing these faith-healers to treat their kids within the school premises.
The teacher said the parents of many students claim that these incidents are happening as the school was built on the land which once a housed cremation/burial ground.
According to the Assistant Commissioner (Tribal Development) Anand Rai Singh, “On coming to know about the health problems among some students on Thursday, a team of doctors rushed to the concerned school. The girls were administered necessary medical treatment, after which their condition improved."
Superstitious practices, like faith-healing shall never be allowed anywhere in this modern medical era. The doctors have told us about some health deficiency among a few kids, which would be clear only after the detailed reports are with us.”
One of the government doctors who treated the girls in the school on Thursday, said that some of them had low blood pressure, owing to which they experienced some problems. Some other students might have had psychological effects seeing others fall ill and subsequently complained about similar health issues.
