Mysterious syndrome grips school girls in Arunachal

Itanagar, Aug 25: Panic struck among the students of a government owned higher secondary school at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district after some 15 girls fell sick or turn hysteric in the class for past few days.

For the last one week, 15 girls of class X had been reportedly attacked by 'evil spirits' during peak class hours. 'Everyday a girl student would turn hysteric and faint in the classroom during class hours', informed the principal, while adding that he was greatly puzzled by the weird situation.

Dirang's senior medical officer Dr. P. K Shah said that the cases seemed to be panic disorder, hysteria or phobia and psychological in nature. While admitting treatment of the affected 15 girl students at the hospital, the doctor also informed that he treated them using tranquilizers and other related medicines.

However, it was learnt that sometime back a girl student had died in the same classroom during class hours and this seemed to have affected the psychology of other girls thereby resulting to the said syndrome, an official said.

Meanwhile, a circular had been issued by the local monastery to hold a 'big puja' involving senior monks and lamas to cast away the so-called "evil spirit" and to re-assure the traumatised girls.

UNI