A school in Madhya Pradesh has called witch doctors to overcome ghosts that allegedly haunt girl students but mysteriously spare the boys.
Officials at the Government Higher Secondary School in Duma village in Seoni district are also performing weird rituals throughout the day in a desperate bid to restore sanity.
Naturally, studies have taken a backseat at the school.
Villagers believe ghosts come to possess the girls once they reach the school, which has been built on an old cremation ground.
Surprisingly, only the girl students act oddly, not the boys.
Uma Shastri, an elderly priest in the village, said: "The school was constructed a few years ago over a piece of land used for cremation. The girls are being possessed by the spirits of the people cremated here."
One such student is Sarita Singh, a 13-year-old who was perfectly normal when she reached the school dressed in uniform and black shoes. She wore her hair in two neat plaits.
But on reaching the school compound, she dumped her bag, untied her ribbons, messed up her hair and started swaying her head in circles. Then she started moving her body fitfully.
Soon she was joined by four more girls of her age. While dancing, the girls kept on moaning. And they danced till they got exhausted, say villagers.
{{/usCountry}}Soon she was joined by four more girls of her age. While dancing, the girls kept on moaning. And they danced till they got exhausted, say villagers.
{{/usCountry}}Saduma Gupta, another villager, says: "It all started a week ago. One girl suddenly starts dancing and others join. Now it has become a routine affair. But only the girls behave abnormally."
On Shastri's advice, the villagers have called in witch doctors to get rid of the so-called ghosts.
The Seoni district administration has not reacted yet.
Said Shankar Lal Kushwaha, a member of the village council: "I have informed the officials about the happenings."
Uma Bhattacharya, a psychologist in Bhopal, remarked: "The girls seem to be suffering from delusional disorder and need counselling."