Prayer held at Bangladesh college to ward off ‘fears of ghost’

Prayers have been held at Cumilla Government Women’s College in an effort to drive away “fears of ghosts” plaguing students from the campus.

Principal Jamal Nasser said he organised the prayer after frantic students had told him about “haunting sounds” which can be heard at night.

The prayer was held on Monday evening but the matter was revealed on Thursday.

The college is located at Cumilla’s Chartha area.

“The girls in the hostel have been in a state of panic for several days now,” a Honours first-year student said. “We hear strange sounds at night. It doesn’t stop. As this kept happening, a prayer was held on Monday evening.”

Another eleventh grade student said, “We get shivers hearing the haunting sounds. We sit numbed by the sound at night. Then a Huzoor (priest) was called up on Monday evening for prayers.”

One of the hostel buildings is abandoned. When it rains, the sound of water can be heard from there, though the students did not say that ghosts lived there.

Locals mentioned that people doing drugs might make such sounds to frighten the girls.

The principal assumed it may have been the sound of a “cat crying” or from “some other animals”. The prayer was held to ward off fears, he added,

On mischievous individuals roaming around the campus, he said, “Nothing like that happened. There’s nothing to fear from the movement of people on the streets outside.”