Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Postcard from... New Delhi

 

Annie Gowen
Friday 31 October 2014 21:00 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Over the past year, a series of unusual events has occurred at a courthouse in east New Delhi. Books have disappeared, strange noises have been heard. Computers and lights have seemed to switch themselves on.

Employees at the Karkardooma district court wondered if it was haunted; eventually the bar association called a meeting, mulled over the evidence and decided to install closed-circuit television cameras. The footage (pictured) can be seen on YouTube.

The bar association joined a long list of other authorities who have taken seriously complaints of paranormal activity in India, a country that lives, it is said, in several centuries at once.

Last year a police station in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh was closed and shuttered after a “resident spirit” terrorised the duty constable, according to a report in The Times of India. Elsewhere, a primary school was shut temporarily when a boy said he saw an egg-shaped ghost emanating from a chalkboard.

Police regularly investigate alleged supernatural events. “We entertain all complaints, be it against zombies or werewolves,” an officer told the Times earlier this year.

New Delhi, the country’s sprawling capital and home to 16 million people, is known as the “City of Djinns”, after genies still said to inhabit its shrines and graveyards. News website Scroll drolly suggested the courthouse case will thus “will bring relief to people who feared Delhi’s age-old djinns and spirits are being driven away by gentrification”.

© Washington Post

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in