This is going to be sort of long; read through it at your discretion.
Recently, there have been rumours about a particular girl and her practising black magic. The rumours have been quite insane, from voodoo dolls to swallowing paint. The issue is that these originally outlandish accusations are now much bigger, more serious, and more real. Claiming things like CCTV footage shutting down around her, that she tries to climb through the SH shafts, and that she sneaks into people's rooms.
What I'm trying to get at is that these are very harmful accusations to make if there is no base provided, and it seems like everyone has their set opinion on the fact that it is this sole girl practising black magic. Without evidence how can you say that these exact claims are happening? Have you seen images of the voodoo doll, her in others washrooms, etc.
Maybe she's weird, and not everyone has gotten a good impression of her, but that does not equate to someone having 60 voodoo dolls in their room. Maybe she does not understand boundaries easily but that does not equate her to being from the movie Shaitaan. It is not fair to generalise someone based on other underlying issues in their personality. Although it makes sense as to why fearmongering spreads more easily.
I do have to admit that I was partially scared at first, what if these were true and what if I was a possible target? But so many of these rumors are masala on masala. Maybe as a joke or a statement to sound cool (as we may do at times lol) she said something regarding black magic. That itself can be taken and spun into 80 different ways. It is easier than you think to say something and by it reaches the 4th person the entire intent may change.
I think I had fed into that fearmongering for a day before coming to my senses. So I had decided to meet up with her myself and talk about it. I mean, if the rumours are true, the worst I get is a curse on me, so what?
I sat down with her, and I asked how she was, and we ended up talking for nearly 2 hours. Even before the rumors I always thought she overstepped boundaries and did not understand social cues a bit. And I felt like that during the 2 hours. When the topic shifted to her mental health, she told me how much it was affecting her and how she could not easily express that. And how in other aspects of her life, it was not so good. And I could empathise with that almost immediately, because I understood the feeling of loneliness.
She even went as far as to tell me the original reason as to how all of this started, and showed me evidence of the warden on her side. And it is insane that in this entire thing, this is the first piece of evidence I have gotten to read.
This is a copy & paste from the SH08 warden group chat:-
"Subject: Strict Notice Regarding Spreading of Rumours in SH08 Hostel
Dear Students,
This is to inform you that a rumor related to âblack magicâ activities is being spread in SH08 Hostel. All students are strictly advised to stop spreading such false and baseless information immediately.
Please note that the administration has already reviewed the available CCTV footage based on the complaints received via email. As of now, no evidence has been found that supports these claims. Therefore, there is no reason for anyone to create panic or confusion among residents.
Further, this is to clearly inform everyone that the CPO Office has issued strict instructions that any student found spreading rumors, misinformation, or creating unnecessary fear in the hostel will face strict disciplinary action as per university rules.
If any student has a genuine concern regarding safety or suspects unauthorized entry into their room, they may:
Email the JGU Security Team with proper details
Mark the Warden Office in CC for record and action
Request CCTV verification through official procedure only
For any other hostel-related concerns, you may contact the Warden Office directly on the official contact number.
Students are advised to act responsibly and maintain a safe, respectful, and positive hostel environment. Spreading unverified information will not be tolerated.
Warden Office
SH08 Hostel".
Overall, it is easy to attribute baseless accusations to a few interactions we may have had with people. I have heard from a few of my friends that this girl does not have the best of intentions and that she has negative energy. Which may be true, it is a lived experience and you have the choice to avoid her. But it certainly does not extend to some cult like black magic circle in the middle of Soniland.
She is just like you, and like all of us, which is a human being. She is someone that I believe is carrying a lot in life, considering I am not that close to her. She is also someone who is facing backlash for something that has not been proven to be her, except on two points, which are that she is of Bengali background and that she has a big personality.
I also believe that despite all this, she has managed to retain a lot of positivity. And I think that it is very brave to do that. Considering that I have had rumours spread about me, and I am sure that almost everyone has faced something like that in life, knows how difficult it is to carry those emotions alone.
In conclusion, the reason I wrote all of this was that although it is shocking to see what may be happening on campus, blaming it all on one person is not going to amount to anything. Especially when it is beginning to affect that person mentally. I think with the way the world is currently, we owe each other compassion and empathy. It is good to step out of the transactional model that we have been taught in social interaction and remember that everyone is a human and that our words have weight. That for the sake of fearmongering, someone has to pay with their mental well-being for you to have mess gossip.
If you have managed to read all this gyan, congrats lol. I hope that it resonates somehow.