'Girls laugh, cry, then go numb': 608 flee Maha school amid 'mass hysteria'

Students fled a school in Melghat fearing spirits after experiencing laughing fits. Officials diagnosed the unusual behavior as mass psychogenic illness, a collective stress reaction. The incident highlighted existing management issues at the Doma village ashram school. Overcrowding and poor sanitation contributed to the students' anxiety and fear. Authorities plan awareness drives to combat superstition in the region.