Collector S B Deepak Kumar was in for a shock when he received an unusual complaint at a grievance redress camp at Bahour. The complaint was to prevent the dumping of garbage in a graveyard at Kirumambakkam village near Bahour in South Puducherry to prevent evil spirits from fleeing the graveyard and entering human settlements.
The complainant Muthuvelan, an agriculturist, said that he wanted the graveyard to be cleaned up to prevent the ghosts from being ‘driven away’ by the ever-persistent foul stench emanating from the decaying garbage in the yard.
He narrated a tale to the Collector of how recently a man possessed by some ‘evil sprit’ was brought to an exorcist. When the exorcist asked the victim the reason for the spirit to enter his body, the spirit allegedly in the man’s voice said that spirits could not remain in the graveyard because of the foul smell emanating from the garbage being dumped there and that is why the spirit had taken refuge in the man’s body.
Muthuvelan said that is why he wanted the Collector to ensure that garbage dumping be stopped in the graveyard. Dumping garbage in the graveyard would make the spirits enter his village, he added.
Deepak Kumar who was perplexed at the complainant’s reasoning sarcastically remarked, “it’s good that the ghost is frightened of you.”