Odisha MLA ‘Possessed’ By Divine Spirit During Tribal Puja

Angul: Tribals were filled with awe and fervour to behold an MLA dancing under the “possession” of a divine spirit at a village in Angul district.

The incident occurred during the celebration of Samba Dashami Puja at Ambasarpada village on Sunday. According to reports, Athmallick legislator Ramesh Sai was reportedly “possessed” during the annual puja organised by the Gond tribal community.

Like every year, hundreds of tribals had gathered at Ambasarpada near Athmallick to perform the Samba Dashami rituals. Sai, who had resigned from a government job to become MLA, had joined the Gond community in performing the rituals.

During the main puja, the MLA suddenly started to tremble and dance erratically while holding a sword. The word soon spread around that Sai was possessed by a divine spirit and the tribals started prostrating in front of him. This continued for two hours before he became normal again.

However, the MLA’s detractors claimed that it was an act put up by the MLA to woo the tribals by exploiting their beliefs.

Was it an act or possession, the jury is still out on this.