Yet another incident of superstition came to the fore on Tuesday in Gajapati district with the hostel warden of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya treating the illness of an inmate by locking her in a chili smoke-filled room, following which 95 students left the hostel.
However, other employees of the institution managed to bring back some students to hostel while 22 girls were yet to return. According to allegations levelled by the girl students, the hostel warden identified as Biswas Ray used to intimidate them mentally by referring to them with words like dog, pig, etc.
Moreover, water and electricity scarcities have added to their plights. Even, they were not being served food properly, the girls alleged.
On Monday night when a girl fell ill, the warden treated the girl by locking her in the chili smoke-filled room in the most inhuman manner instead of providing medical treatment citing that she was possessed by a ghost. After this, they left hostel on Tuesday morning, a girl narrated.
Some hostel employees went to the students gathered near the Block Education Officer’s (BEO) office and managed to take some of them back to the hostel assuring no negligence in future.