Witchcraft rumours swirl, 3 adivasi schoolgirls are expelled from school in Jharkhand, relatives say

Latehar Deputy Commissioner Utkarsh Gupta said an inquiry has been ordered into the allegations.

“We are conducting an inquiry into the matter. It does not appear to be a very serious issue at this stage. There seems to have been some mischief among the children. Neither have they been expelled from the school nor from the hostel. They have only been sent home for now. Once the inquiry report comes, we will take further action,” Gupta said.

The families of the three students said on November 16, the school authorities said that they would revoke their admission. The girls are now back home and no police complaint has been registered yet.

While talking to The Indian Express, a relative of one of the students said, “One night around 8.30pm, the headmaster called us and asked us to come immediately and take the child back. We told him it was too late at night, but he kept insisting. The school authorities later refused to keep her and asked us to take her transfer certificate.”

“Our classmates and the school staff called us witches and accused us of troubling other inmates at the hostel. We never did anything like that,” one of the students said, adding, “the harassment continued for nearly two weeks.”

The school headmaster did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment on the matter.