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REUTERS 07 September 06 Mass hysteria in Nepali children after snake killed
Kathmandu: Dozens of children have fainted, apparently because of mass hysteria, after school authorities in Nepal killed a snake, considered as sacred by many Hindus, witnesses said on Thursday.
At least 67 students, aged between nine and 16 years, have had fainting fits since Tuesday in the mainly Hindu country, they said.
"Children suddenly scream, cry and faint," Rishikesh Baral, assistant headmaster of the school, told Reuters by phone.
"Some recover after a couple of hours while others are yet to fully recover. We apologise for killing the snake."
Authorities in the Laxmi Secondary School near the resort town of Pokhara, 125 km (80 miles) west of Kathmandu, organised priests to perform religious rites on Thursday to exorcise the "evil spirit" of the snake killed by school officials last week.
Doctors told school officials it was a case of hysteria caused by fear of divine retribution for the snake's death.
Hindus regard snakes as sacred and Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, is shown wearing a serpent as a garland.
A local journalist said priests scattered rice and sprinkled holy water in classrooms to drive away the snake's "spirit".
Mass hysteria in Nepali children after snake killed

IANS (India) 11 September 06 Nepal comes under witch doctors' spell
Kathmandu: After the spectre of a vengeful snake god caused mass hysteria among its teenage students, a school in western Nepal now has to contend with two witch doctors warring to 'cure' the victims.
Laxmi Secondary School in Lekhnath town in Kaski district hit the headlines last week after its students, mostly girls aged 14-17, began fainting, followed by fits in which they screamed, wept and flailed their arms and legs.
After the first fits last Monday, the nonplussed school authorities decided to suspend classes for the rest of the week. The mystery over the mass hysteria thickened after some local residents as well as teachers told channels that the turmoil was due to the wrath of a dead snake that had been killed on the school premises last month.
Some of the fainting girls' guardians began taking them to the local shamans, fearing a curse by the dead snake.
Drawn by the widespread publicity the phenomenon triggered and the strong superstition among locals, two witch doctors rushed to the school to perform their magic and exorcise the ghost.
A long-haired, saffron-clad young man, calling himself Vishal Baba, was the first to get off the mark, offering 'treatment' to six girl students. When the second, Rudra Ranabhat, began performing a magic rite at the school Sunday to show his magic powers, the six girls tried to disrupt the process.
The two witch doctors came to blows over that, with each accusing the other of having manipulated the girls. The row compelled the school authorities to call the police, who took away the warring babas as well as the students.
A local daily Monday reported the school principal, Shribhadra Baral, had consulted the chief district officer and district education officer and agreed not to allow any more shamans on the school premises.
Insulated from the rest of the world till 1950 by towering mountains and a dictatorial ruling dynasty, Nepal still retains its medieval practices, including a strong belief in witch doctors. A high rate of illiteracy and lack of easy healthcare have contributed to the ascendancy of the fail healers, who are often charlatans with no knowledge of traditional medicine.
It is not only the remote districts where the witch doctors enjoy a roaring trade. Kantiput television channel reported how a shaman had become a legend in the capital itself.
A former construction worker turned god man, who is now known as Trishul Baba (The Trident Man), is doing brisk business in the Gaushala area, where he has his own ashram and attendants, including several women.
People wanting to consult him have to seek an appointment two days in advance, the channel reported.
The man claims to have received supernatural powers, including the ability to cure people afflicted with epilepsy, hypertension and sexually transmitted diseases by touching them with his magic trident.
The channel showed the man moving around nonchalantly, wearing a crown over flowing locks, watching devotees as well as patients gesticulating wildly.
Nepal comes under witch doctors' spell