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Is the Patna crash site haunted?

Our correspondent in Patna

Is the site of July 17 Alliance Air crash in Patna haunted by the ghosts of the victims?

This question has divided the residents of Gardanibagh, where the aircraft crashed killing 53 passengers and six people on the ground. While one section has conducted yagnas and pujas to get rid of the evil spirits, the other believes that these are just "money-making rackets."

Though the first puja was seen as a goodwill gesture and was attended by a large number of people, people objected when such rituals became a regular affair.

Residents believe that the organisers of these pujas have been spreading stories of ghosts in the area to scare people. They have been ably assisted by the local press, which displays such stories prominently.

The inspector of Gardanibagh police station, Pramod Kumar, said: "Our men have been guarding the crash site for a long time, they haven't seen any bhut-pret (ghosts)."

There are several stories doing the rounds in the locality. While some say that they often hear people shrieking and crying for help, one household reported that curds kept in the fridge disappears mysteriously.

Another story says that a rickshaw-puller saw a passenger sitting behind him vanish in thin air. An auto-driver too had a similar experience.

But there is a large number of people who dismiss these stories as "rubbish" and charge that these are being spread by people with vested interests.

Police express their helplessness in taking action, fearing a religious back-lash. "We need to be very careful...it's a sensitive matter. We don't want to hurt anybody," Kumar said.

Alliance Air crash: The entire coverage

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