Ghost stories in Tripura: Students vacate school hostel after "paranormal" experiences

Students of Kasturba Gandhi Residential Girls' School, located in Ganganagar in Dhalai district (around 175 km from Agartala), have been vacating their rooms after experiencing the presence of alleged paranormal beings within the hostel premises. Some of the inmates reportedly fell ill after the scary experience. 

According to locals, this is not the first time that inmates of the hostel have been left terrified due to the suspected presence of paranormal beings. 

In 2018 as well, students vacated their rooms with similar complaints, and the administration had to intervene to make the hostel run smoothly like before.

Speaking on the issue, the hostel's warden, Minakshi Nath, said, "On June 27, a group of the girls claimed to have seen a shadowy figure clad in white saree-like attire that disappeared all of a sudden at night. One of them fell ill and started behaving frantically. Her behaviour left others in a state of shock and, one by one, they were leaving the hostel."  

To dispel fear and instill confidence among the students, the authorities convened a parents-teachers meeting, but the parents expressed their reluctance to allow their children to stay in the hostel.

“We have tried to convince the parents through rounds of meetings. They have expressed their reservations about keeping the students here. In the presence of senior officials of the civil and police administration, we have assured all arrangements for foolproof security. Since July 4, a large number of  students have returned to the hostel," Nath told India Today NE.

These rumours were being peddled by some vested interest groups, said an official of the education department.

“All the panic-stricken girls reached their respective homes within a day of the sighting of the shadowy thing but we failed to spot anything. Even the night watchmen engaged in the hostel did not see anything”, said a top source in the state education department.

Speaking on the issue, the officer-in-charge SK Jamatia said, “Since the incident, we have been sending policemen for night duty. Our people posted on duty did not experience anything similar to what the girls were telling us. After an initial inquiry, we came to know that none of the children of the lower classes had any complaints like this. It was the girls of the upper classes talking about ghosts. "

Jamatia also expressed his suspicion over the inconsistent statements of the girls. 

“They might have plotted this whole story just to go home. In 2017-18 as well a report of paranormal sightings were reported at the same hostel. However, we are providing uninterrupted security so that no children feel terrified”, Jamatia informed India Today NE

It will be interesting to see what efforts will be undertaken by the authorities to shed the "horror” tag courted by the residential school.