Paradip: Villagers of Nuagad village on the outskirts of Paradip town in Jagatsinghpur district have been living in the fear of ghosts over last four days. According to reports, girl students and young women fall sick and the local residents attribute their illness to a ‘bad spirit’ possessing them.
While the family members of the affected women and children are spending sleepless nights, others have stopped sending their children to schools.
Taking advantage of the situation, traditional exorcists, locally known as ‘gunias,’ have started making a beeline to the village to get rid of the ghosts. However, the police have started a probe into the matter.
Following the police intervention, the ‘gunias’ have stopped visiting the village. But some villagers went to Nayagarh with their children to avail the service of a ‘gunia’. Locals said a girl got cured of all complications after visiting an exorcist in Nayagarh.
Some news reporters also visited the village to verify the claims. The Block Education Officer has also carried out a review following a sharp decline in school attendance. Adding to local people’s fear, a transformer caught fire Saturday, plunging the whole village into darkness.
The locals believe that a man from a nearby village, whose name was mentioned by a ‘gunia’ as a sorcerer, is responsible for all troubles. The man, on the other hand, has threatened to file a case for falsely levelling charges against him.
The police have started patrolling the village to avoid any untoward incident.
PNN
